Mark Johnston Photography

31 July 2010: fireworks　花火

Fireworks. The Japanese have a much better word for it - "hana-bi", combining the character for "flower" - 花, with the character meaning "fire" - 火.

Looking at typical photos of fireworks, where the shutter is open for a second or two, capturing the trails of every flaming projectile from the explosion, it's easy to associate them with flowers.

Here in Ito, on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula a couple of hours by train to the southwest of Tokyo, it is hot. Way too hot for western clothes. I always thought the adoption of suits and neckties was one of the biggest mistakes in Japan's post-war rush to modernity. And pants. Seriously - when the thermometer stays above 90 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks at a time, it's much more comfortable to wear "yukata", the light cotton kimono, open to the air and tied only with a sash — an "obi". It is insane to wear a necktie even, much less a jacket and long pants.

August also brings the so-called "o-bon" season, where many Japanese return to their homes to spend time with their extended families and visit their local shrines to remember the ones who have passed on. Festivals abound - and cold beer.