Summer in Japan is the season of nostalgic night festivals—twinkling night markets filled with the aroma of food stalls and streets bustling with people dressed in yukata. However, not everyone enjoys being in a crowd, or their schedules don’t allow them to go to festivals even if they want to.
That’s why in this article, we’ll introduce simple and creative ways to bring the merry atmosphere of summer festivals right into your own home— from decorating with traditional tenugui cloths and creating ambient lighting with paper lanterns, to incorporating the soothing sounds of wind chimes to invite breeze to your home!
At Village House, we offer a wide selection of rental properties all across Japan, starting from just 20,000 yen. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly apartment, be sure to check out our website!
Create a summer festival vibe with tenugui tapestry
Tenugui, traditional Japanese hand towels, have been loved for a long time due to their functionality and beautiful design. As a form of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, tenugui display meticulous attention to detail in dyeing technique and fabric quality, beautifully illustrating Japan’s distinctive seasons and traditional motifs. Designs with goldfish, water balloons, or fireworks—symbols often associated with summer festivals—are especially popular as seasonal home decor during the hot summer months.
In recent years, tenugui have been appreciated not just for wiping hands or bodies, but also as charming interior accents. Whether hung on the wall using special tapestry rods or framed and displayed vertically like an art panel, they offer a high degree of styling flexibility.
Choosing a tenugui with a design you love can add a sense of unity and seasonality to your entire home. Tenugui are relatively affordable, easy to store, and don’t take up much space, making them the perfect item for those who want to easily enjoy a summer festival vibe at home.
Enhance your space with Japanese-style solar paper lanterns
If you want to recreate the gentle glow of a summer festival night at home, Japanese-style solar paper lanterns are a perfect choice. Powered by sunlight and requiring no electrical outlet, they’re easy to use even outdoors. As the sun goes down, the lanterns softly illuminate your space, giving the space a warm and elegant feel.
Hang them on your balcony or by the front door to create a nostalgic summer festival atmosphere. Combine them with other Japanese accessories such as noren curtains and tenugui towels to further enhance the festive vibe.
Add a touch of coolness and gentle sounds with wind chimes
Traditional Japanese wind chimes are more than just decorations—they evoke the summer vibe through both sight and sound. If you hang them by the windowsill or under the eaves, a gentle tone will ring out every time the wind passes by, evoking a refreshing sense of coolness that you can feel through hearing.
Wind chimes come in a variety of materials and designs. Glass wind chimes are characterized by their delicate sound with a sense of transparency. In contrast, Nambu ironware wind chimes produce deeper, more resonant tones with lingering echoes, adding a calming feel to the space. There are also other types made from ceramic and bamboo, allowing you to have fun choosing one that matches your interior style and preferences.
Historically, Japanese wind chimes were believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, and thus they were often hung at temples and shrines. By hanging them near your front door, on the balcony, or by an indoor window, you can effortlessly incorporate the cool, refreshing summer vibe into your home—both through their elegant appearance and their soothing sound.
For more info, check out our blog: How to Refresh Your Home for Summer in Japan
Simple DIY crafts using 100-yen store products
If you want to recreate a summer festival vibe at home, try crafting your own decorations! One fun craft idea is the “goldfish garland” which has the cuteness perfect for summer festivals. Just by decorating the front door or the wall with them, you can instantly create a summer festival atmosphere.
All the materials needed can be found at 100-yen stores like Daiso, Seria, or Can☆Do, making it a fun yet affordable project. It’s also the perfect summer craft you can enjoy with your kids.
How to Make a Goldfish Garland (Time Required: Around 30 Minutes)
The materials you can get from a 100-yen store:
- Colored construction paper or origami paper (classic goldfish colors such as red, black, light blue, etc.)
- Scissors
- Glue or double-sided tape
- Hole punch
- Hemp twine or ribbon
- Round stickers or a white pen
- Template (search for “goldfish garland pattern” to find free printable materials)
Steps:
① Prepare the goldfish template
Find a goldfish shape you like and trace it onto your colored paper. Red or black goldfish will look even more vibrant when added with light blue or yellow accent colors.
② Cut out the goldfish shapes
Carefully cut along the lines with scissors. Make about 3 to 5 goldfish for a good balance.
③ Add the eyes
Use round stickers or a white pen to draw the eyes to instantly make them look like goldfish.
④ Thread the garland string
Punch a hole around the top fin of each goldfish, then thread the hemp twine through them. The key is to space them evenly for a neat look.
⑤ Display them wherever you like
Hang them by the front door or in the living room to create a summer festival vibe at home!
For more info, check out our blog: Best 100-Yen Purchases for Apartment Decoration
Soothing summer aromas for relaxing at home
Once you’ve created a festive, summer-inspired space, why not take it to the next level by enhancing the festive vibe with a scent? Letting summer fragrances waft through your room can evoke the feeling of a pleasant night breeze on the way home after a summer festival.
For the aromas, citrus essential oils like lemon, orange, or yuzu are recommended. The refreshing and slightly sweet fragrance not only refreshes your mood, but is also said to have the effect of relieving stress and tension.
Additionally, refreshing aromas such as lemongrass and peppermint are perfect for humid summer days. Not only do they make you feel refreshed, but they also have insect repellent properties, making them ideal for cooling off on the balcony in the evening.
At night, we recommend incorporating the calming scent of lavender, which is said to help reduce anxiety and stress, as well as improve quality of sleep and overall mood. It is the perfect scent to enjoy quiet moments while unwinding after a festival.
Aromas are not just a visual treat or a sound to cool you down, but they also help capture the essence of the season through scent, deepening the summer festival vibe at home. Find a fragrance you love and enjoy a full sensory experience of a festival at your very own home!
Source: AEAJ – The Effects of Essential Oils on Brain Function ／AEAJ – The Repellent Effects of Aromas on Dust Mites
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Hello, I’m Machiko Doi, a freelance writer who writes about housing and living in Japan.
I live in an 80-year-old house that I inherited from my grandparents along with my two shelter cats and daughter.
We live a relaxed life while repairing the house.
I like to cook vegetables from the garden and fresh fish caught by my father, and enjoy them with cold beer on a hot day or hot sake on a cold day.