August is always the best time of the summer in Japan. The rainy season finally ends and the sun comes out, everyone’s on summer vacation, and best of all it’s when people dress up and gather to enjoy the summer festivities.

In the past week I stood on the beach with another 100,000 people or so and watched one of the famous fireworks shows blast the sky with the most beautiful fireworks I have ever seen. It was incredible watching as the crowd oohed and awed as the vibration of the loudest firework struck the sky.

Firework shows are amongst one of the most popular events during the summer time in Japan and it’s the time when women of all ages dress up in their favorite yukatas. Although I was unable to dress up this year, for the lack of time, I enjoyed attending events and admiring all the beautiful patterns and colors that everyone wore. Japan is a very modern country now influenced tremendously with Western pop culture, so it’s always a breath of fresh air when everyone dresses up in traditional garments and gets in touch with their culture.

I was always fond of dark colored yukatas and kimonos, but I’ve started to realize that I look much better in lighter colors since my skin tone is naturally darker. And what amuses me is how everyone puts so much thought into their hairstyle. I used to thought that I could get away with just wearing a yukata, but really styling your hair into cute curls and a nice bun makes a much better ensemble.

So the next time I’m in Japan for a vacation, I’m definitely going to stop and wear a yukata, get my hair done, and enjoy the traditional events like the old times. It would be just a waste not to.

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