The sound of summer

(Updated on August 18, 2021)

The following photos depict typical summer scenes: rice fields, sunflowers and lotus flowers. Can you guess what sounds are in common?

They are the sounds of cicadas beyond number singing relentlessly and noisily. At night, there will be a concert of insects, such as crickets, bell crickets and more.

A summer festival in my neighborhood, northern Yokohama on August 21, 2016. A local secondary high school brass band played popular numbers one after another.

The last part of the festival is "bon odori (bon dance)", usually played with traditional two-beat songs and Japanese drums. Anybody is invited to participate in the dance.

A firework display at a park in my neighborhood, northern Yokohama on July 13, 2013. There are no big ones but they are quite ok for the local kids. The fire work display ended with this finale (right).

A wind bell gives gentle sounds in breeze.

Lastly, I would like to show you the photo of summer festivals.

What kind of sounds can you imagine?

This photo shows a “mikoshi”, a portable shrine, being carried by eager participants during a summer festival in a busy shopping area, Shibuya, Tokyo on July 5, 2009. Those who were carrying the portable shrine on their shoulders kept shouting out

“Washoi! washoi!

washoi! washoi!“

to invigorate themselves due to the weight of the portable shrine.

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