Icons of Summer in Japan Summertime in many areas of Japan probably conjures many of the same images as in other regions of the world, albeit it with temperatures soaring into the 90s, stifling humidity, and clouds of mosquitoes. And while just as many people in Japan are pondering air conditioners, cool ocean breezes, and ice cream flavors as in the U.S., the answer to the question, “What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word summer?” can sometimes differ in the Land of the Rising Sun, as well as on Okinawa—the subtropical home of the shîsâ and the gôyâ. Included in the Top Ten summer icons for many in Japan are yukata, yuurei banashi, hanabi taikai, kisetsu ryori, Katori-Senko, and semi. Yukata are the thin, summer kimono, traditionally worn
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