When summer draws near in Japan, you learn to recognize the signs, and one of the first is Tanabata Festival.
Oh my goodness! What is going on? Look at...
Oh Sarah, you too! Look at that!
Evie! Oh, so nice ladies.
Tanabata Matsuri!
And Momma chan, helping out, huh?
I did hair. Did hair.
Hair and make-up department came over!
[Life in Japan Theme Song]
Are you going to do a dance today? Yea!
Yea? Oh how pretty, I bet it's going to look great.
Do you remember your dance Izzy, when you did your dance?
So Sarah, you're all dressed up to watch them too? I love it!
While most of the western world is already on summer break, in Japan school is still going strong in July.
But when Tanabata Festival comes, you know that summer break is not too far away.
Two years ago Joshua participated in his last Tanabata festival at his preschool,
the same thing the Block girls are going to do today.
Hey Sarah! We've got a great spot to watch Joshua's Tanabata, huh? Mmm Hmm.
Isn't it nice? You're just barely tall enough to see from up here.
Do you see him walking around in circles there?
Tanabata is a fun yearly tradition in many of the preschools in Japan, and we encourage you to check out our other videos on it.
Festivals are a big part of summer life in Japan, and this year we’re checking out a fun little local street festival near us.
Pull, keep pulling! Pull pull!
Parents pay for all kinds of fun little games for the kids to play and get prizes.
These kinds of street festivals can be found all over Japan.
This! Oh
Which one do you want?
Let's see, Joshua's going to pull one.
Ahh, say arigatou (thank you)
Good job!
Whoa! Oh, that's cool.
Nice!
How old are you? Seven years old
One at a time, throw them in the circles.
Go ahead.
10
Great!
Wow.
Choose two
OK Sara chan!
How old are you? Ten years old.
Throw one at a time,
if it goes in the circle you get one point
If you get 2 or 3 points, you get 2 snacks.
You got this, Sarah!
Good job!
Oh!
Two points!
Since it's two points, please choose two prizes from over here.
Wow.
Joshua, what did you choose? Let's see.
Whoa. Cool.
What about this?
Oh there you go. Those are potato chips.
OK, I'm good. Alright, very good.
Alright!
The beginning of summer in Japan is marked by the onset of festivals and heat.
But summer is also a time to catch up with old friends, and none is quite so dear to this channel as this one.
A very special lunch today with a very special person...
Hello! Hello.
Ryoji, thank you so much for all that you do with putting subtitles on all these videos!
Amazing work!
I'm doing the Japanese subtitles.
Thank you!
Summer is certainly a great time to slow down and reconnect with people,
and back at home, Momma chan is working on a summer tradition of her own, and everyone wants a piece of it.
Oh boy, the cake factory has been at it again.
What is going on today?
Today is Joey's birthday.
There's going to be a Donkey Kong and T-rex on top
And then a bunch of dinosaurs around it.
What a cake!
And those cupcakes! Oh and cupcakes!
OK let's go, we gotta go. OK, let's take them.
OK guys, I'm going to do a snap.
Every time we go to Hiratsuka now, what do we do? We take a cake.
We take a cake with us.
Massive cakes!
Over an hour later, we were at the birthday party destination — a fantastic park at the center of Hiratsuka.
Well Ruth! The cake is delivered!
Safely delivered! Whew!
It's always a nerve-wracking thing. Oh, it looks great.
It almost melted along the way, but...
Soon it was time to celebrate cousin Joey’s 5th birthday with pictures, song and cake!
[Singing Happy Birthday]
[Everyone cheering]
Wonderful, Joey's 5 years old.
Look at everybody! Tearing into those—cookies!
How's the cookies? Good.
This cake has got it going on.
There's dinosaurs and Donkey Kong
It's the best cake for a 5-year old.
It looks delicious, right?
Yummy! Yummy Lulu, isn't it?
But if there’s one thing I love about the summer, whether here in Japan or where I grew up in America,
it’s the long summer days capped by a beautiful sunset to end the day.
What a sunset tonight, huh Dude?
Yep. Isn't that amazing?
What's your favorite part about the sunset?
That sometimes it goes in the drain.
That sometimes it goes in the drain?!
Yeah, that only happened that one time, didn't it?
The sun is going down into that big water tower.
It's going to be stored over there overnight and then come out tomorrow morning.
But it’s not just the summer sunsets that I love.
To me, there’s nothing like a good summer thunderstorm — the kind that makes me grab the camera to watch the show!
Does anyone else love a good thunderstorm?
Summertime weather can flip fast. A thunderstorm one night, and stifling heat the next day.
Staying inside sometimes is the best option,
but just because you’re inside doesn’t mean you have to be on a screen of some sort.
He was a small baby, just 4 months old,
And like the men in front of him he was dressed in a new robe,
A beautifully-colored kimono.
It says kimono?
"He's bound to be lucky," said the women to each other again.
He has a good name too. Toyohiko.
Toyohiko!
Oh boy! Mommy's coffee cakes.
Sarah, I need you to help mommy record her cooking channel.
What?! Sarah!
And me! Sarah chan on the cooking channel?!
And me! And you? You want to help me?
Reading a biography about people who have made a positive impact in Japan is inspiring,
and practicing for our own church music team also ranks high on the list of things to do inside.
Rebecca and Anna are trying out for the music team and want to be ready.
I’m in charge of the worship teams, so I’m making sure they are!
But even when it’s hot, there are good options of things to do outside if you know how to stay cool.
Here come the not-so-little-littles.
Eating their kakigori (shaved ice) along the way.
How's your kakigori? Good.
Good? Perfect summertime treat.
Well Momma chan, you should have just brought your book! Should have.
Kakigori, or Japanese shaved ice, is a great way to stay cool in the summertime.
But there are other great ways to do it as well.
What'cha looking at there Momma chan?
Inflatable boats.
Camping is on the horizon!
And let’s not overlook the best way to cool off in the summer — water!
Climbing up the mountain?
Wow, good job!
Here comes Anna Cakes. She's ready.
It's kind of cold. It's kind of cold?
Anna, let's see. How's the water?
Colder than the pool at my school.
Look at Sarah, just right in! Way to go, Sarah.
But the real summer water challenge was about to begin at the headwaters of this little artificial stream.
Climbing up, oh yeah.
You want to come follow us because we're going to do a challenge...
Oh, you're going to do a challenge?
Trust me when I say, this water on a hot day is cold!
Level one, put your feet in the water?
Feet in the water. Level two...
Get some water in your hands and splash your legs.
Whoa, no I can't, that's like level 7 or something.
What? You've barely started!
I said keep on the rocks! Oh.
Level 3... stand up in the water.
It's like the easiest one ever!
Level 4, kneel down.
Oh! Ah!
Put your knees on the ground for ten seconds.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Please stand up.
Anna's got a good job, she just has to tell everyone what to do, huh?
It's so [cough] good!
Kneel down and wet your tummy like this
I can't kneel down that far.
Ah! It went inside!
...9, 10!
Under Anna’s direction, the challenge quickly escalated…
Now put your hands in the water...
Like this.
OK, now lean forward.
I can't do that!
You have to!
Like Joshua.
I didn't say done yet!
My goodness!
OK! I'm done!
Oh, Becca's out!
3, 2, 1 Ah!
She did it! She did it!
Yea!
No no no no no no!
Get her nice and wet!
Nice and wet! OK enough!
There’s nothing like a water challenge to cool things off in the summer. And you need it, because things sure get hot.
I'll tell you what, it is full on hot now
Summer in Japan can get over 35 degrees celsius, up to 40 degrees celsius
And it sure bakes.
Whether in school or on break, summer in Japan doesn’t mean a break from homework.
What'cha working on, Sarah chan?
Homework. Homework?!
Homework makes the dream work.
Homework makes the boring work. Oh, but it's so necessary!
OK, we're going to go outside! Way to go, Sarah.
There's some kids in my class that like homework!
How?!
You going to go outside?
I have enduring memories from my childhood summers — the long days, warm nights and time spent playing.
It’s far too easy to get caught up in the speed of life that you don’t slow down and savor each moment as a special gift.
I hit it with the bottom of my foot so that it doesn't hurt.
Oh my.
Yea like that!
Does that hurt? No.
And she made the turn!
She sure did, way to go!
Nice.
How's it going ladies? Mom!
These simple moments are ones that I’ll look back and treasure, because family is above everything else a blessing.
What's happening Sarah?
Are you graduating?
OK Sarah
You shall complete 1st grade soccer.
Yeah!
Baby!
But even when you think the day is done, summer in Japan can still surprise you.
I just don't want to go to school tomorrow.
And unexpected events can lead to new experiences.
Look! Look who it is!
Oh my goodness, the whole crew is here!
Aw, welcome back guys.
Whoa!
Wow!
Like momma chan picking up the camera.
Daddy's not here so we're going to use his camera.
Sarah are you catching the fireworks?
It's so weird seeing you have the camera.
I hear Daddy. Daddy's home.
Daddy, there's fireworks!
Can you see them real good? Yeah!
Look at this!
Soon I was back to take over filming duties, and I brought some good friends from my school days with me.
How special these summer days are turning out to be. And they’re only getting started.
Is this fun though, watching it from our [balcony]
It's so nice because I don't have to do anything.
I know! Just all from right here.
It just so happens that this was the Tokyo fireworks show we saw last year along the river.
What a fun show that was!
Yea, that is.
Oh look at that.
Oh my goodness! Whoa!
Oh my stars, that is a whole lot of fireworks!
Whoa, good golly!
Yeah!
Look at all the people now going home.
Ruth called her dad... In Brazil...
In Brazil... He watched the finale.
He got to see the finale and now...
Time to go home, Sarah needs to sleep.
But at last, the best part of summer is yet to come, for next week on Life in Japan…
It's almost... Natsu Yasumi! (Summer Break)
What are we doing over here?! What is this?
Ripping the countdown!
Ripping the countdown?!
We finally reach the last day of school and the first day of summer break on Life in Japan.
Becca's here!
Rip it. Oh man! With authority.
Oh me too?!
Already?
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I drew it for you. Thank you.