July’s gomei conjure the magic of midsummer nights—Tanabata star lore, rustling bamboo, and the very first cries of cicadas.
July’s gomei conjure the magic of midsummer nights—Tanabata star lore, rustling bamboo, and the very first cries of cicadas.
| Gomei | Meaning |
|---|---|
| jokusho | Sultry damp heat |
| hoshi-no-shizuku | “Drops of stars” |
| yamaboko / yamahoko | Yamaboko Floats |
| kingyobachi | Goldfish bowl |
| fuyō | Cotton-rose mallow |
| nasubana | Egg-plant blossoms |
| seseragi | Babbling Brook |
| mizu-asobi | Playing in the Water |
| semi | Cicada |
| aburazemi | Large “oil” cicada |
| kikkōten | Ancient star-weaving rite |
| aotonbo | Green damselfly |
| orihime | Orihime (Vega) |
| kōrimizu | Ice Water |
| suika | Watermelon |
| tenki-ame | Sun-shower |
| fumizuki | Old lunar name of July |
| kasasagi no hashi | Magpie Bridge |
| himawari | Sunflower |
| hamo | Pike-conger |
| yūniji | Evening rainbow |
| hatsuzemi | First cicada heard |
| doyō | Dog-days before autumn |
| shiratama | Rice-flour dumplings |
| kikkōden | Festival of Pleading for Skills |
| uchiwa | Uchiwa (flat fan) |
| himawari | Sunflower |
| shiosai | Sound of surf |
| hoshizukiyo | Starlit Night |
| kaminari | Thunder |
| yoiyama | Eve of the Main Festival (Gion) |
| kuzumochi | Kuzu-starch cake |
| nemu | Silk Tree |
| aozora | Blue Sky |
| yamahoko | Decorated festival floats |
| tokonatsu_july | Everlasting Summer/Pinks |
| ginga | Galaxy / Milky Way |
| hasu | Lotus |
| tokoroten | Sea-weed gel noodles |
| sōmen | Sōmen Noodles |
| natsuyasumi | Summer Vacation |
| mukuge | Rose-of-Sharon |
| sasatanzaku | Tanzaku on bamboo |
| shōsho | Minor‐Heat solar term |
| seiryō | Refreshing Coolness |
| higurashi | Evening cicada |
| sasa kazari | Bamboo Decorations |
| kōren | Red lotus in full bloom |
| orihime | Weaving Princess star |
| mukaebi | Welcoming bonfire |
| nami | Wave |
| hikoboshi | Cowherd star |
| umibiraki | Opening of Beaches for the Season |
| sarusuberi | Crape-myrtle |
| miyama | Deep Mountains |
| byakuren | White Lotus |
| hoshisuzu | “Coolness among stars” |
| doyōboshi | Sun-drying of books & clothes |
| asagao | Morning Glory |
| naginata-hoko | Naginata Float |
| kingyo | Goldfish |
| umi | Sea / Ocean |
| enrai | Distant Thunder |
| hamahirugao | Seaside bindweed |
| amanogawa | The Milky Way |
| shirasagi | White Egret |
| taisho | Major‐Heat solar term |
| shōsho | Lesser Heat |
| ryōchō | Cool summer dawn |
| shimizu | Pure Spring Water |
| ryō ichimi | One Taste of Coolness |
| tanzaku | Poem slips for wishes |
| yoimatsugusa | Evening Primrose |
| mizuyōkan | Chilled bean-jelly |
| garasu | Glass |
| uchiage-hanabi | Sky-rocket fireworks |
| doyō | Doyō (Midsummer period) |
| sarusuberi | Crape Myrtle |
| hoshikuzu | Stardust |
| asagao | Morning glory |
| ensho | Blazing heat |
| hikoboshi | Hikoboshi (Altair) |
| unagi | Eel |
| mizunasu | Juicy pickling eggplant |
| uchimizu | Water sprinkling on ground |
| doyō-ushi | Day of the Ox in dog-days |
| kakigōri | Shaved Ice |
| ryōsei | “Cool star” |
| yūnagi | Calm evening sea |
| kaisuiyoku | Sea bathing |
| tsuyuake | End of the Rainy Season |
| ukai | Cormorant fishing |
| seika | High summer |
| tamasudare | Zephyranthes |
| yomise | Night Stall / Night Fair |
| hoshimatsuri | Star Festival (Tanabata) |
| nagisa | Water’s edge |
| semishigure | Cicada rain |
| hōshizemi | Tree-top cicada |
| hiyayakko | Chilled Tofu |
| hiyashi-uri | Chilled melon |
| hōzuki-ichi | Ground-cherry fair |
| hamo-otoshi | Par-boiled hamo slices |
| reicha | Chilled green tea |
| hanabi | Fireworks |
| hirusuzumi | Mid-day cool spot |
| doyō-unagi | Eel eaten at doyō |
| enten | Scorching Sun / Blazing Sky |
| tanabata | Evening of the Seventh |
| suichūgetsu | The moon reflected on water |
| yoiyami | Early evening darkness |
| sumidagawa-hanabi | Sumida-gawa Fireworks Festival |
| tanzaku | Tanzaku strips |
| taisho | Greater Heat |
| shinsō/ tokoroten | Agar noodles (alt. kanji) |
| yūsuzumi | Enjoying the Evening Cool |
| kikyō | Balloon-flower |
| sasabune | Bamboo-leaf boats |
| suika | Water-melon |
| nagoshi no harae | Summer Passing Purification |
| nōryō | Enjoying the Cool |
| hamabe | Beach / Shore |
| hoshiai | “Meeting of stars” |
| kasasagibashi | Bridge of magpies |
| natsugumo | Summer clouds |
| sunahama | Sandy Beach |
| nemu | Silk-tree blossom |
| yūdachi | Evening Shower |
| kengyūsei | “Ox-herd” star (Altair) |
| itotonbo | Needle damselfly |
| ubune | Cormorant-fishing boat |
| amanogawa | Milky Way |
| ōhanabi | Grand fireworks display |
| hirugao | Bindweed |
| uchimizu | Sprinkling Water |
| bakufu | Great Waterfall |
| nettaiya | Tropical night |
| sasakazari | Bamboo‐leaf decorations |
| kikyō | Bellflower |
| tanabata | Tanabata (Star Festival) |
| yoryō | Night cool |
| yukata | Yukata |
| hōzuki | Chinese lantern plant |
| mizuburo | Cold bath |
| yoiyama | Eve of Gion parade |
| seifū_july | Pure Breeze |
| semi | Cicada in general |
| fūrin | Wind Chime |
| ryōrin | “Cool bell” |
| doyō-nami | Summer swell at beaches |
| fūrin | Glass & metal wind-bell |
| gion-matsuri | Gion Festival in Kyoto |
| kuzukiri | Arrow-root starch noodles |
| funaasobi | Boating |
| mizukagami | Water Mirror |
| kōrimizu | Glass of shaved ice water |
| tsuyukusa | Asiatic Dayflower |
| ginga | Milky Way |
| tonbodama | Glass “dragonfly” bead |
| gion matsuri | Gion Festival |
| yoruhanabi | Night fireworks |
| kafū | “Lotus wind” |
| semishigure | Cicada Chorus |
| fumizuki / fuzuki | Fumizuki (Poetic month name) |
| mugiyu | Barley infusion served cold |
| chinowa | Chinowa (reed hoop) |
| ukagari | Torch for cormorant fishing |
| kōri | Ice |
| asanagi | Calm morning sea |
| hoshika | “Fire of stars” |
| kakigōri | Shaved ice dessert |
| tsukimisō | Evening Primrose (alternative) |
| hamakaze | Seaside breeze |
| kumo no mine | Peak of the Clouds |
| kaji no ha | Kaji (Paper Mulberry) Leaf |
| hamayū | Crinum Lily |
| kingyo | Goldfish |
| mōsho | Fierce heat |
| asasuzumi | Cool of early morning |
| ryōfū_july | Cool Breeze |
| minamikaze | Southerly summer wind |
| sassemi | Very early cicada |
| hoshiai | Meeting of Stars |
The centerpiece of early July is Tanabata (7 July), when the Cowherd and Weaver stars are said to meet across the Milky Way; utensil names such as “Hoshi-kuzu” (Stardust), “Ama-no-gawa” (River of Heaven), or “Tanzaku” (Wish-paper Strip) mirror the romance. Open-weave bamboo baskets, reed screens, and shallow glass or celadon bowls temper the heat, while gomei like “Semigoe” (Cicada Voice) or “Sasakaze” (Bamboo Breeze) underline aural coolness. The ambience is light and airy—scrolls are written on silk gauze, guests carry fans, and the host lingers over the sound of water to suggest refreshment that is felt more in the mind than on the skin.