Top 7 Must Do Japan Summer Activities that you won’t find online
In this video, you’ll find out what it’s like to watch the most romantic fireworks in Japan. This is crazy. Go lamping in some of the most beautiful natures I’ve ever seen. It shaved ice bigger than my head and every other insane things Japanese people actually do in summer. All the way down to the cheapest experience I could find. Activity one, spotting summer sunflowers. In Japan, you don’t usually go on a sunflower hunt. They just appear in parks by Mount Fuji or even by a Dutch city in Japan. Yep, there’s a Dutch city in Japan. Who would have guessed? And when locals see these sunflowers, they stop, snap a few photos, then keep walking. But if you do want that movie like view, this one is my recommendation. Akino in Hokto in Yamanashi Prefecture, home to about 400,000 sunflowers. It’s open from July 19th to August 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The entry is free. They even post like live 10 minutes daily bloom updates so you can time your visit perfectly. I’ve linked the site in the description so do check it out. But remember in a few weeks they will all be gone. And in Japan that thought isn’t sad. It’s considered beautiful. It’s a core value here that they call mujo. It’s the idea of finding beauty in transience in things don’t last like sunflower here or sakura in spring. And it makes you wonder is this feeling of mujo is the real reason why all seasonal stuff in Japan feels like a national celebration. And speaking of beauty, what if I told you locals here also like to taste it in summer? Activity two, eating shift ice. You can see this shop all over Japan in summer. The shop that I mean is the one that has this specific logo. It tells you they sell shaved ice. So I decided to go into the shop. Yep. Here in this area, we walk in reverse. Don’t ask why. The shaved ice shop that we are going today is very cute with cute kitchen and cute staff. I went to the counter and order my shaved ice. Then I got it pretty fast, I would say. But before I show how it looks like, let me tell you a bit about it. So eating shaved ice is a must do thing for Japanese in summer. I know this person that you’re seeing right now is not Japanese. You know what? Fine. Here you go. So in Japan they call it as kakori. Oh dang it man. Using camera is hard. Here the ice is shaved very fine. The toppings are fancy and the size bigger than my face. Now you cannot even see my big ass forehead. Now you can see it. Now you can. Now you can see it. Now you can. Japanese love to eat it during summer. All right. So, I’m going to try the infamous shave ice. M. It does melt in your mouth. It doesn’t feel like ice. It feel like, do you know cotton candy? It felt like that. It felt like that, but cold. And I love how the jam, like the sauce that they put on this, it’s not too sweet. It’s sweet, but like it has some elegance to it. Yeah, I I do think that this is such a good dessert to have. It’s around 700 yen, which is around like four bucksish, three bucksish, and it cools you down. So like it’s like gets the job done. So after the nice kaki, I managed to talk to the staff here. Um Soch. All right, now we know how the locals cool down from the inside, but how do they cool down from the outside? Activity three, rafting. River boat rides are a classic Japanese summer tradition. Some are thrilling, others are very chill. The one I recommend, Nagato River, located in Saitama Prefecture. This river is the perfect balance of excitement and calm. So, first they ask you to wait for the boat. There’s the boat riding. We’re on the thing. Then you wear the life vest. Then the staff will pedal the boat. One moment you’re chilling on the boat. The next treacherous waves come hitting you with full force. Then you can see ducks. There’s ducks. During the whole trip, the staff would tell you a lot of story regarding the river. And the whole 3 km river cruise is around 15 minutes. If you want to try it, Nagato is about 2 hours from Tokyo by train. Honestly, it’s one of the best bang for your buck river rides in Japan. And speaking of rivers, did you know that in summer, locals also like to eat through a miniature river? Okay, now let’s talk about the most iconic summer activities, Nagashi. Activity four, eat Nagashi Soman. Yeah, it’s called Nagashi Soman, which literally means flowing noodles. And it’s one of the quirkiest, most frustrating, weirdly refreshing ways to have lunch you’ll ever see. Originally, this started in rural mountains areas of Kyushu where people would use natural streams to chill the noodles. It was part practicality, part community fun. Now, I know what you might be wondering. Where can I eat this in Tokyo? Right now, I’m standing in front of a place called Mizutaki Hatano. This is the place where we can get the best Nagashi sen in Shibuya. Located 8 minutes walking distance from Shibuya station, this place secretly sets up Nagashi sen during summer season. right outside the entrance. It has nice interior and for 5,000 yen, which is around 35 bucks, you can enjoy the Nagashi Smen all you want. This may looks like a trendy summer activities, but trust me, it’s worth it. So, the technique to get the noodle is very simple. First, make sure to hold your chopstick right and then make sure to do it like this. Okay? Now, when the noodles came, make sure to put it like this. And they will just stuck here. And then you pick it up like this. And then after you get this, what you want to do, you want to get your showyu bowl. And then you want to dip it like this. And here when you dip it, you can just mix it like this. And then just slurp it like this. This is pretty good. Nagashi saw man is how locals appreciate nature. And another way they show that same appreciation by camping in it. Activity five, glamping. Camping in Japan is beautiful, but it can be intimidating if you don’t have gear or just don’t want to spend half the day pitching a tent. That’s where glamping comes in. The outdoors minus the hassle. One spot I love is Camping Lanai in Miyazaki Prefecture. Now, I know what you might be wondering. Why am I wearing a jacket here? Well, I filmed this in fall, but still you can go here in summer. Hey guys, so we arrived at our place. It’s time for room tour. This is how the room looks inside. This is the fridge. This is the bed. And we have one, two, okay, three, four bats. Isn’t it crazy? This is the couch. This is another couch. It has this pillow. It has this fur. So yeah, this place going to cost you around 80,600 yen per person per night, including dinner and breakfast. So, Glampy in Japan is one of those summer experiences most tourists never think to add to their trip. But for locals, some of them go during summer to escape the heat and connect to the nature without the hassle. Glamping gives you the quiet side of nature in Japan. But what if you want a more lively experience? Well, this next activity is for you. Activity six, enjoy the summer festival. Summer festivals in Japan, summer festivals aren’t just any event. They are memories in motion. couples, friends and families, dogs, people with weird mask flooded the streets and enjoying themselves dancing. You’ll see a lot of people dressing in yukata or jimbe during this season. Why? Wearing one is like telling everyone you are here to be part of the celebration, not just watching it. Here the streets are lined with festival treats. You have shaved ice, yakisoba, which is Japanese style fried noodle, ringing a which is Japanese apple candy, beer, smokeoky chicken skewers, lanterns sway gently overhead. And the things that people like to do during summer festival is catching goldfish with rice paper or fishing for water balloons or satei shooting games that feels like an American county fair but with a Japanese twist. Oh, and the best part, they have trash bin, so you can enjoy the festival to the fullest. Summer festivals here are about togetherness. Neighbors, families, friends, and people like us sharing one warm summer night as if the whole town decided to celebrate under the same sky. Speaking of the sky, what if you could take the festival up there? You ask Japanese person what summer is all about? Well, my friend, this Fireworks. Activity seven. Enjoy the fireworks. In Japan, during summer nights, you will hear fireworks echoes across the sky. Quick history. Fireworks go all the way back to the Edo period when people use them to ward of evil spirits and honor the dead. Flash forward, they’ve become a full-blown summer’s tradition, drawing tens of thousands of people just to watch the sky light up. The only problem, you don’t know where or when any of this is happening. Sure, there’s the famous Nagawa show in Nigata, but it’s far from Tokyo and insanely crowded, and there are so many other shows scattered across the country that people miss. So, I fixed that. I added a full Japan fireworks calendar map inside the app. You can filter it by date. You can search specific fireworks. You can click on the marker to see the details. And you can click on learn more to see more details. You can filter by crowd level to know which one fits your needs. I add all the information about summer festivals in my app, so make sure to check it out. You can see it like in this QR here or here. Pro tip, arrive at least 2 hours early to claim a spot. Bring a picnic blanket or portable chairs and check if there are paid seating areas for an obstructed view. And that’s Japan in summer. From sunflower fields to shaved ice bigger than your head to rafting down semi- treacherous rivers to catching noodles from a miniature stream to scenic glamping escapes to lively summer festivals and fireworks that light up the full sky. Those are the top seven summer activities in Japan you won’t find online. Yay. Now that is how you do firework, guys. That’s amazing. That was like crazy, dude. Thanks for watching and thanks to you guys that we finally hit 1,000 subscribers. I’m so grateful to you guys and love you so much. So, see you in the next one. Bye-bye.
Here are seven local-favorite experiences that turn the heat into a vibe and exactly where/what to try in each.
✅ Sunflower Hunts: From parks to Mt. Fuji views (even a “Dutch” town!). My top pick has ~400,000 blooms, Jul 19–Aug 17, 8:00–17:00, free, with near-live bloom updates so you can time it perfectly.
🍧 Kakigōri (かき氷): Cloud-soft shaved ice that melts like cotton candy. I try one around ¥700 and get a staff reco for “White Bear” (strawberry, red bean, mango).
🚣 Nagatoro River Boat (Saitama): A perfect chill + splash mix: ~3 km ride, about 15 min, ~2 hours from Tokyo by train.
🌀 Nagashi Sōmen (流しそうめん): Catch noodles flowing down a bamboo flume. In Shibuya, Mizutaki Hattano quietly sets it up in summer; about ¥5,000 for all-you-can-catch.
⛺ Glamping: Camping Lanai (Miyazaki) room tour; about ¥18,600 per person/night including dinner & breakfast, the nature without the hassle.
🎐 Summer Festivals (祭り): Yukata/jinbei, yakisoba, ringo-ame, goldfish scooping, shooting games—pure togetherness.
🎆 Fireworks (花火): Edo-period roots, now full-blown summer spectacles. Use my app’s calendar map to find shows, dates, and crowd levels (yes, even beyond the famous Nagaoka display).
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🔥 Tools & Extras
• Free “Top 7 Summer” Checklist (PDF): direct download in the AI app
• Interactive Summer Map + AI App (fireworks, festivals, spots): https://lostinmigration.com/map/fireworks-festival
• Try Lost in Migration: instant itineraries, heat-wave alerts & smart filters. Start here: https://lostinmigration.com
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▶️ Follow Me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihsanengkutraveltips/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihsan.engku
• Business: ihsan94.dev@gmail.com
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⏰ Timestamps
00:00 – 00:20 | Intro: fireworks, glamping, kakigōri, festivals
00:21 – 00:44 | Sunflowers in Japan: what locals actually do
00:45 – 01:02 | Recommended sunflower field: ~400k blooms, Jul 19–Aug 17, 8:00–17:00, free, live bloom status
01:03 – 01:29 | “Mujo”: finding beauty in things that don’t last
01:37 – 04:10 | Kakigōri deep dive + taste test (~¥700) & staff reco (“White Bear”)
04:18 – 05:08 | Nagatoro River Boat: how it works, waves, ducks, ~3 km/~15 min, ~2h from Tokyo
05:11 – 07:03 | Nagashi Sōmen (Shibuya): where, price (~¥5,000), how to catch noodles
07:04 – 08:08 | Glamping (Miyazaki / Camping Lanai): room tour & cost (~¥18,600 ppn incl meals)
08:20 – 09:27 | Summer Festivals: food, games, yukata/jinbei, why it feels like a town-wide party
09:44 – 11:04 | Fireworks: history, how to find shows in the app, pro setup tips
11:05 – 11:22 | Recap: “Japan in summer” in one line
11:41 – 11:53 | Outro + 1K subs thank you
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🏷️ Tags
#JapanSummer #JapanTravel #Kakigori #NagashiSomen #Nagatoro #Miyazaki #GlampingJapan #SunflowerFields #Matsuri #Hanabi #LostInMigration #TokyoDayTrips #JapanItinerary
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Stay frosty out there, see you in the next one! 😎🇯🇵
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