With July just around the corner, Japan is gearing up for another sultry summer. Since the sizzling-hot days only last until early September, people make the most of the season by getting outside — that includes going to film festivals, art and fashion events or outdoor musical gatherings.

In fact, there's so much fun to be had, it can be daunting trawling through the full range of summer events that Japan has to offer. To help make things a bit easier for fun-seekers, we've put together a guide to the best of the season.

And what better way to kick things off than with some beats. Recent years have seen a boom in summer music festivals, or natsu fesu, and with sonic gatherings happening almost every weekend through September, music fans are spoilt for choice.