summer
Japan in Summer: Fireworks, Festivals and Beating the Heat
Yes, it's hot. It's also the season of Kyoto's Gion Matsuri, Aomori's glowing Nebuta floats and 20,000 fireworks over the Sumida River. How to do a Japanese summer well — and stay cool doing it.
summer
Tsuyu: Hydrangeas and the Beauty of Japan's Rainy Season
Everyone tells you to skip Japan in June. They're wrong. Glowing blue hydrangeas at Kamakura's Meigetsu-in, the Hakone hydrangea train, half-empty temples and a country at its greenest — here's how to do the rainy season right.