August is almost here, bringing with it some of the Japan’s most impressive summer festivals. With so much going on, it can be difficult to plan properly. Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled a chronological guide to Tokyo’s essential local festivals this August, which also includes a selection of regional celebrations across Japan worth traveling for.

Other highlights from the web this week:

☆ With a dwindling pool of eligible heirs, the imperial family is facing a succession crisis. There’s a simple solution to this problem: allowing the emperor's 24-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, to take the throne. But Sanae Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — strongly opposes it.

☆ Japan’s tourism boom is finally showing signs of slowing down.

☆ A guide to kawadoko, or riverside dining, one of Kyoto’s most distinctive and charming summer traditions.

— Callie Beusman, Editorial Director

We’re partnering with Fukuoka Prefecture to bring our readers a chance to win an exquisite kaiseki dinner at Kojimachi Nadaman Fukuoka Bettei.

After reading our article about Fukuoka crafts, please complete this short survey for a chance to win a Hakata jidori mizutaki (chicken hot pot) course for 2 people, valued at ¥29,040.

August is the peak of summer festival season in Tokyo, a month when the city’s concrete avenues fill with the scent of grilled street food and the deep rumble of taiko drums. These matsuri bring centuries of community traditions to life through lantern-lit temple dances, energetic street processions and massive neighborhood water fights.

If you know someone who’d enjoy this newsletter, please share it!
If it was forwarded to you, you can sign up here.