Summer in Japan is few people's favorite season. Anyone who has spent even a couple of days in Tokyo in the heat of late July, August or early Spetember will know it is a steamy cauldron of sweat and potential heat stroke.
But that is not to say there are no upsides. Quite the opposite. Summer has plenty to celebrate. Cue this new series: Summer Reasons to be Cheerful.
Starting right here, with hanabi — the beautiful "flowers of fire".
They're all good. But fireworks festivals over water are best of all. Not only is there usually a cool breeze off the lake or sea, you also get to see reflections.
Best of all, you can bring your own drinks. And there's often a cool food stall nearby, such as Twitch's Jamaican jerk chicken grill, down on the beach in Hayama.