Don’t let a little steamy weather keep you from having all the summer fun and seeing all the good stuff! There are plenty of only-in-Japan delights you can 100% enjoy and still keep your cool. Instead of groaning at the soaring temperatures, think yourself lucky you’re here for experiences and food that are only offered in the summertime…
First of all: the traditional Japanese ways to beat the heat
If you really want to experience summer like a local, here’s how to stay cool in traditional Japanese ways…
Many of these are an excuse to throw a festival, with all the traditional trimmings. Like…
Goldfish festivals
where you’ll see more varieties of fancy fish, eat all the summer snacks, and marvel at the excellent souvenirs.
Wind chime festivals
These traditional glass bells tinkle at the faintest breeze, so get thee to a summer festival at Nishiarai Daishi or other Tokyo temples (search online for “furin festival”) where you can browse hundreds of fūrin singing the sweet sound of summer…
or visit the Shinobazu Pond in July to hear a chorus of glass bells while gazing at the lotus flowers.
If the wind chimes and goldfish aren’t really doing it for you, there’s always Winter in a Can!
Modern heat hacks that really work
From cooling sprays to fans to chilled neck towels, you can find products that will actually lower your body temperature at any ordinary drugstore or the Hands, Loft or Don Kihote stores.
These multi-floor emporiums are a worthy destination in any season, where you can spend many blessedly refrigerated hours discovering the most entertaining Japanese products, gadgets and souvenirs. (Note: don’t fall in love with anything you see here, because what makes these stores evergreen sources of delight is that their merch changes all the time!)
When you’re ready to venture outside again—maybe longing for a little greenery?—don’t miss these Tokyo parks that really shine in the summertime with killer water features that invite bare feet to jump right in.
Best summer splash parks and playgrounds
And when it’s just too toasty to be outside for one more minute, there are plenty of only-in-summer indoor delights you can’t see anywhere else in the world.
You’ve never seen fish like this
Tokyo’s modern air conditioned aquariums go one better than old-fashioned goldfish bowls, dishing up spectacular only-in-Japan entertainment along with the aquatic wonders.
And naturally, Tokyo’s art and history museums excel at exhibits with summertime themes. Here are links to what exhibitions are currently happening at all my favorite museums or you can browse the places below to see what kind of treasures they offer in refrigerated bliss…
Museums so entertaining, you won’t want to leave
And these might not have been on your must-see list, but I guarantee they’ll be one of the first things you’ll talk about when someone asks, “So, what did you do on your summer vacation?”
If you’re both a shopper and a museum-goer, Tokyo offers the ideal hybrid: insights into Japanese culture you can also take home with you!
Primo cultural shopping
And if you’ve got kids tugging at your hand, begging to spend their allowance…
Kid-pleasing destinations
But Tokyo summer fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. One of the best strategies for avoiding heatstroke is to rest during the hottest part of the afternoon and venture out in the warm evening.
Places that are even better at night
Here are Three Perfect Evening Strolls you can take through iconic neighborhoods that are at their best lit up at night.
And then there are the traditional nighttime extravaganzas of floating lantern festivals…
and fireworks shows, which happen throughout the summer, not just on New Year’s or Fourth of July.
And last but definitely not least, the fabulous foods
Eating something cold and delicious when it’s hot outside is one of the great pleasures of life, and Japan serves up the best of the best.
Catch these cold noodles as they float down the stream running through the middle of your table…
nibble on festival food, like cucumbers on a stick…
and try epic shave ice in flavors you won’t find anywhere else. Whether you buy it from a food truck or a shop with ultra-gourmet toppings, these are not your basic granular ballpark snow cone!
Japanese soft-serve is also a revelation, made in delicious seasonal flavors you’ve never tasted before
And then there is the only-in-Japan phenomenon of coffee jelly! (Which is—go figure— addictively delicious.)
I hope these seasonal treats give you some better memories than the summer heat to bring back home!
If you’d like more great ideas of stuff to do in Tokyo, head over to
The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 