The smell of summer

Original photo processed with Lunapic

On summer mornings before it gets blistering hot, I open the doors and windows and take a deep breath. It’s especially nice to get fresh air if I’ve depended on the aircon overnight to get a decent night’s sleep (some nights the temperature hovers at 27 celsius). And to me, there’s a distinctly different sweet and grassy scent in the air. Summer simply smells different to me.

The region I live in has dozens of summer fireworks displays. From the banks of the Edo River near my house, I’ve watched multiple hanabi taikais from a distance. While I like the spectacle, the smell is pungent. The acrid smell of the fireworks comes from all kinds of ingredients - charcoal, paper, rice husks, gunpowder, and chemicals. The little handheld sparklers have a strong sulfurous smell that drifts through my neighborhood’s streets.

Summer festivals are olfactory experiences, too. Last week, the heat took away my appetite, but a walk through the streets for Tanabata matsuri got me hungry. The yatai stalls entice festivalgoers with so many traditional and modern treats. The aroma that lured me in was the sweet and savory yakisoba.

This summer, my city announces heat stroke warnings every morning about 10 a.m. I’m looking forward to the end of the week as rain is forecast. Rain can kick up pollen, leaf litter, fungus spores, and road dirt, of course, but if you live in a leafy neighborhood, it smells great. And when the heat subsides, I want to get out to see and smell some flowers, especially lilies which bloom in August. I read that lotus has a strong fragrance.

What’s your favorite or least favorite summer smell?