Japan’s iconic summer festivals shift to cooler seasons as heatwaves become new normal
Faced with record high temperatures and ageing communities, event organisers are adapting to keep traditions alive
One of the most prominent examples is Tokyo’s century-old Adachi Fireworks Festival, which will take place on May 31 this year rather than its usual late July slot, according to a report by the Mainichi Shimbun.
The city was forced to cancel last summer’s fireworks festival due to a sudden thunderstorm just before it began. By moving the event to an earlier date this year, organisers hope to avoid such weather-related disruptions – but the bigger concern is the escalating heat, Adachi ward mayor Yayoi Kondo said in a statement on the ward’s official website.
“The summer lately has significantly changed from what we knew as ‘Japanese summer’, where people clad in ‘yukata’ summer kimonos admired fireworks while cooling themselves with ‘uchiwa’ paper fans,” Kondo said.
She acknowledged the nostalgia that many feel for the original timing, noting “some people want to see the fireworks festival held in summer, calling it a summer tradition”.
But temperatures in Tokyo have increasingly tested the limits of tradition.