7 Words For A Perfect Japanese Summer
Japanese summer is coming, and it’s going to be a hot one!
As you probably know, the four seasons are very important in Japanese culture. In Japan, people love to honour the flowers, plants, events, and weather of each season.
Summer is no exception. Summer in Japan is hot and humid. Lots of seasonal flowers bloom, and there are many special festivals and traditions to celebrate (or cope with!) the heat.
Here are 7 words you need to know to spend a scorching Natsu (summer) in Japan!
Natsumeku (夏めく)
"Natsumeku (夏めく)is Japanese for the beginning of summer or to become summerly, to become like summer. 夏(natsu) means summer and めく(meku) is a suffix which loosely means ‘becoming ~like’.
Tsuyu (梅雨)
In early summer, most parts of Japan get visited by a rainy season, the so-called tsuyu (梅雨, also pronounced baiu), literally meaning "plum rain", because it coincides with the season of plums ripening.
The kanji used for 梅雨(tsuyu – rainy season) literally means ‘plum’ (梅) and ‘rain’ (雨).
Ajisai (紫陽花)
Ajisai means hydrangea, the beautiful flowers that bloom everywhere during the rainy season in Japan.
Did you know that hydrangea is the flower native to Japan?
And the color of the flower changes depending on the acidity of the soil.
In acidic soil, the flower turns blue and in alkaline soils, the flower turns pink.
Fuurin (風鈴)
Have you ever seen Japanese wind chimes? They are called 風鈴(fuurin) and they are hung outside of houses and buildings in the summer.
The word is made from two kanji, 風(fuu – wind) and 鈴(rin – bell).
Natsu Matsuri (夏祭り)
"Natsumatsuri" is a collective term for festivals observed in summer.
In many cases, it means a festival held in Japan mostly from the beginning of July through the end of August.
Kakigoori (かき氷)
Kakigoori (かき氷) is a Japanese dessert made of shaved ice, syrup, and a sweetener, similar to a snow cone.
This is a must-try if you are in Japan during the summer!
Suikawari (スイカ割り)
Suikawari (スイカ割り, suika-wari, lit. Watermelon Splitting) is a traditional Japanese game that involves splitting a watermelon with a stick while blindfolded.
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