Japanese vocabulary for summer festivals (夏祭り), including fireworks, taiko drums, goldfish scooping, yukata, cotton candy, shaved ice, takoyaki, uchiwa fans, and more. In July and August in Japan, summer festivals are a must—beyond fireworks (花火), you can enjoy distinctive food stalls and street snacks, and you may even see taiko (太鼓) performances.
Pick up an info magazine at any convenience store and you'll find plenty of details on fireworks shows across different regions. Festival grounds are hung with colorful lanterns (提灯). At the game stalls, you can try goldfish scooping (金魚すくい), target shooting (射的), and water-balloon fishing (水風船).
For snacks, look for food stalls (屋台) selling cotton candy (綿飴), candy apples (りんご飴), takoyaki (たこ焼き), shaved ice (かき氷), and more. In festival fashion, you'll notice people in traditional happi coats (法被). Girls often wear beautiful yukata (浴衣) and compete in style. Many carry round fans called uchiwa (団扇). If you're in Japan in summer, don't miss a summer festival when you get the chance!
| Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Chinese | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 夏祭り | なつまつり | natsumatsuri | 夏日祭典 | summer festival |
| 花火 | はなび | hanabi | 煙花 | firework |
| 屋台 | やたい | yatai | 攤販 | stall |
| 提灯 | ちょうちん | chōchin | 燈籠 | lantern |
| 太鼓 | たいこ | taiko | 太鼓 | Japanese drum |
| 法被 | はっぴ | happi | 法被 | happi coat |
| 浴衣 | ゆかた | yukata | 浴衣 | yukata |
| 団扇 | うちわ | uchiwa | 團扇 | fan |
| 金魚掬い | きんぎょすくい | kingyosukui | 撈金魚 | goldfish scooping |
| 射的 | しゃてき | shateki | 射擊 | target practice |
| 水風船 | みずふうせん | mizufūsen | 水球 | water balloon |
| 綿飴 | わたあめ | wataame | 棉花糖 | cotton candy |
| 林檎飴 | りんごあめ | ringoame | 蘋果糖 | candy apple |
| たこ焼き | たこやき | takoyaki | 章魚燒 | octopus dumplings |
| かき氷 | かきごおり | kakigōri | 刨冰 | shaved ice |
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