Hiyamugi -- cold noodle --











One of the popular foods in summer is Hiyamugi.
It is like Udon noodle, but it is thinner than Udon.

The biggest feature of Hiyamugi is its soup.
Usually Udon is eaten with hot soup based on soy source.
This Hiyamugi is served with cold water and block ice.
Then we eat it with the cold soup, also with spring onion and grated ginger.

Especially in hot summer, we tend to lose appetite.
Hiyamugi is so nice food in that occasion.

Canned coffee





Same as green tea, there are plenty kinds of canned coffee in Japan.

With sugar, no sugar, with milk, no milk, cafe au lait, etc...


You can get it at vender machine or shops like convenient store.

Do not make a mistake when you choose at vender machine, in winter season, hot one is there.
Hot one is shown by red tag.

Try several kinds and find your favorite one!

"OCHA" -- green tea--















One of the most popular beverages in Japan is OCHA, green tea, especially cold one.
In this few years, plenty new kinds of green tea have appeared.

For Japanese, we can recognize its difference by each product.
For example, smell, bitter or mild, impression...
But for tourists, it is quite difficult to find its difference.

Anyway please try one which you like at the shop, it costs about 150yen for one small bottle.

　　" DAGASHI " -- cheap sweets--








When I was a child, the shopping at DAGASHI shop is quite a fun for me same as my friends.
It was 30years ago.
At that time, DAGASHI is very popular among children.

There are plenty kinds of DAGASHI at the shop and they were so cheap, 10yen, 20yen, and so on.

But, with the passage of time, DAGASHI had been gone from our daily life.
5 or 6 years ago, no more DAGASHI was in the shop.

However, DAGASHI has come back!
Recent years, we could see DAGASHI at several shop, of course price is still cheap.
Main consumer is not children, but adult like our age.

In Tokyo, there is DAGASHI bar, which is the bar with DAGASHI all you can eat.

It is very convenient for the tourist as souvenir.
Let's try it out.

Rainy season --Tsuyu--

Japan has four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Between spring and summer, we have one more extra season called Tsuyu, it means rainy season.
Japan is so long through north and south, so the rainy season's period is different at each area in Japan.
At my district, Aichi-Prefecture, it continues from the beginning of June to the end of July.

In rainy season, it is not strange that it rains through the week.
Same as at another area, usually rainy season is not welcomed so much.
Anybody seems to be waiting the summer.

However, it is very important the role of rainy season. Rain brings us the blessing of all lives.

Today is July 23th. It is coming the end of Tsuyu soon.
Thank you for the rains and welcome the summer!

In Japan Haagen-Dazs ice cream is very famous as same as in another country.













Especially in summer, we can buy at anywhere like a supermarket, convenience store.

I like cookie and cream flavor best!
Next one is green tea or caramel flavor.

Recently not only in summer but also through the year we can buy the Haagen-Dazs ice cream.


In the store you can also find Japanese original ice cream.

It is fun to find your favorite one!

Kakigoori - shaved ice

Kakigoori is one of the most popular food in summer.

You can get it at the shops with small curtain like a picture.

The picture's character shows "koori", it means shaved ice.

At the shop, you can choose syrup which is topped on the shaved ice.

Most famous is strawberry, lemon, melon, and green tea.

My favorite is green tea with Japanese bean jam, which is called Ujikintoki.

Shaved ice is popular food in fireworks show, too.

Outside is so hot and shaved ice brings us cool.

Also shaved ice is a food only in summer season.

This year I do not eat yet, so try soon!

Senko-Hanabi

There is another kind of the way how to enjoy fireworks.

It is senko-hanabi.

This senko-hanabi is very small so you can play with your hands.

You have the top of it by your hands and ignite on the other side.

It shines about for one minute so transiently.

Most of Japanese like both big fireworks in the sky and small senko-hanabi.

You can get the senko-hanabi at any convenience store as a package of small fireworks.

One of the biggest fireworks show is Sumidagawa hanabi taikai.

Sumidagawa is a big river flowing through Tokyo area.

This year it will be held on July 29th.

Last year about 1million audience joined this event.




We can see about 20000 fireworks in the sky.
Also TV will broadcast through this show.

We can enjoy this fireworks with some situation.

Normally, most popular way is by walk.
Another way is by the small ship called yakatabune.
This ship should be reserved completely and it is so difficult to get the ticket.
But the ship, of course, goes on the river nearly to fireworks. It must be so exciting!

If you have the chance to see any fireworks show, you are very lucky to find Japanese culture.

Fireworks -- " Hanabi"




One of the most popular event in summer is fireworks, we call hanabi.
Mostly in July and August there are plenty opportunity we could see the fireworks.

The number of the fireworks during show time is at least around 1000 up to 30000.
There are many kinds of fireworks, for example, like a flower, rocket, animals, human faces, etc.
It takes about 2hours for one show.

Fireworks is so beautiful and artistic.
When we see fireworks, we always say "ohhhhhh" "wahhhhh".
In another words, we can say it is the symbol of Japanese heart.

But only one thing is problem.
A lot of people goes to fireworks show so it is like a traffic jam in the morning time on weekday.
Do not miss your friends!

The number who has visited Japan is about 5 million per year and it is growing year by year.
This my blog " My Favorite Japan"( called "MFJ" ) will be written for the people who are trying to visit Japan, who want to know more about Japan, and who just know about Japan.

I would like to introduce real deep information about Japan, and wish it is useful for those people who are interested in Japan.

Also I wish more and more people visit Japan at near future and enjoy their stay.


Now I am living in Nagoya, located at center of Japan.
And before, I have lived in Tokyo ,Yokohama.
Also I have been traveling all over Japan and many friends are there.

Please enjoy at MFJ!