Tokugawa Ieyasu

The person said to have seen fireworks for the first time in Japan is Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1613, fireworks were presented by the English envoy John Saris and his party, and it is said that Ieyasu watched them.

lantern

At summer festival venues, lanterns are mainly displayed to enhance the nighttime atmosphere. They are traditional Japanese lighting fixtures with a light placed inside a frame made of washi paper or cloth.

To quell epidemics and disasters

Summer festivals are said to have originated as events where people offered prayers to the gods to prevent epidemics and disasters that tend to spread during the hot summer. Today, they also incorporate regional characteristics and elements of entertainment.

mixed fruit flavor not limited to any specific fruit

Blue Hawaii often doesn’t have a fixed “this fruit flavor”; different manufacturers use different flavorings and tastes. Generally, it tends to be mixed-fruit or tropical in flavor, but there is no set taste.

ice cream headache

The phenomenon where your head hurts when you quickly eat something cold, like shaved ice, is called an “ice cream headache.” Formally, it’s also known as a “cold-stimulus headache.” It’s thought to occur when the blood vessels in the mouth and throat are rapidly cooled and constrict, causing the brain to perceive pain.

Courage, a match

Because the word for iris (shōbu) can also be read as “shōbu,” meaning “contest” or “match,” it carries wishes for courage and good fortune in competition. It was also a pattern favored by samurai.

Sumida River Fireworks Festival

The Sumida River Fireworks Festival began in 1733 during the Edo period and is known as Japan’s oldest fireworks festival. It was held by the shogunate to ward off epidemics and to offer memorials for the dead, and it is still beloved by many people today.

Chill the bananas in the refrigerator before dipping them in chocolate.

By applying it to the surface of a chilled banana, the melted chocolate sets quickly, creating a crisp texture. With a room-temperature banana, it can take longer for the chocolate to harden, which may result in an inferior texture.

Heian period

Japanese summer festivals are said to have begun in the Heian period as customs for warding off misfortune and preventing epidemics. In particular, many were held in summer, such as the Goryō-e rituals.

Ho-oh

It is common for a legendary bird called the hōō, considered auspicious, to be placed atop the mikoshi. The hōō is regarded as a symbol of peace and prosperity.