Summers in Japan are stiflingly hot and humid. Yet as evening approaches, temperatures soften, the humidity lifts, and people head out to socialise.

As the sky begins to darken, the riverside slowly transforms. Food stalls line the paths, their paper lanterns flickering to life one by one. The air is filled with the mingled aromas of summer festival food: the smoky char of yakitori skewers turning over glowing coals, the faint sweetness of corn on the cob, and the savory tang of takoyaki. Smoke is wafted into the air by large fans dancing rhythmically in the street food vendors’ hands.

Children cluster around stalls selling kingyo-sukui game, carefully scooping goldfish with delicate paper nets. Others clutch cups of shaved ice and soft-serve sorbet, which melts faster than it can be eaten in the humid evening air.

By the time darkness settles in, everyone is eating something with a cold drink in hand. Sweet treats are high on the agenda: chewy dango brushed with syrup (which inspired our udonuts), taiyaki filled with warm red bean paste, and ice-cold ramune soda, opened with a pop as the marble slips into the bottle’s neck. Laughter, music, and fireworks rise into the night.

Summer festivals, like fireworks, don’t last long. The stalls disappear. The lanterns go dark. The season moves on, making the summer festival enjoyed all that much more because it is fleeting, yet always memorable.