Perhaps the most fascinating part of Japan's culinary strength is the enjoyment of eating foods and dishes in the right season. Even summer, with its sweltering humidity, has a place in the Japanese palate.
Few things say summer in Japan better than kakigori. Shaved ice flavoured with sweet condensed milk and syrup, kakigori is a staple of the Japanese festival food stall scene and comes in a bewildering array of flavours. Here's a tip: go for the fluffiest ice. It's like eating snow. Literally.
No Japanese summer is complete without its harbinger, the ayu sweetfish. Caught in rivers all over the country, ayu are another mainstay of summer festivals but you'll also find them elegantly served in ryokans. Much loved for their sweet flesh, try this tip: eat the whole fish, head and all. It's nice.
Summer comes alive with yakitori. These little skewers of grilled chicken - other meats are available too - are a delight. Famous at festivals, they are also well supported with bars that specialise in them. A good tip is to eat yakitori grilled with binchotan white charcoal. The flavour is just right.
With a nice cool broth, the thin strands of nagashi somen noodles are a delight to eat in summer. Flowing down along an open bamboo tube, pick off your noodle serving with quick eyes and an even quicker pair of chopsticks. Don't forget the standard tip with noodles in Japan - slurp!
Brushed with tare sauce, the succulent flesh of grilled unagi eel is most popular in late July or early August thanks to an Edo period marketing gimmick that saw eel promoted as an energy booster. A tip: eat your unagi from restaurants that have been around for generations. The tare sauce used needs years to develop its rich flavour.
Next time you experience the heat, make sure to try some of these foods. Easy to eat and easy to enjoy, they are some of the many staples that make up summer in Japan.
