Japanese summers are famous for being hot and humid, so many people (including me) prefer light and refreshing meals or beverages as a cool relief in the summer heat.

Many foreigners are familiar with noodles dishes like ramen, udon, even soba; however, many have the image of a hot meal.

I don’t have much of an appetite during summer, but one thing I can eat endlessly are the Japanese cold noodles, sōmen, and soba, and shaved ice (かき氷 kakigōri).

However, sōmen is a winner when it comes to summer treats, and a bowl of sōmen reinvigorates you instantly.

You can serve cold sōmen noodles with tsuyu dipping sauce, wasabi/ ginger, chopped onions, or seaweed (depending on your preferences).

In my case, I like to keep it simple and add the usual mentsuyu (noodle dipping sauce), wasabi or ginger, and some chopped onions. Sometimes I also use shiso (perilla) leaves or pickled plums (梅干し umeboshi), along with the other ingredients.

I also like zaru soba and tororo soba, but you can also opt for cold 'Chinese-style' ramen (冷やし中華 hiyashi chūka) or cold udon instead.

Also, since it’s Japan, why not add some kawaiiness to level up the experience?

These days, I tried getting in a more festive and matsuri-like atmosphere by wearing a yukata and using a "North Pole sōmen bowl" at home.

The bowl has an adorable design with a polar bear. It gave me the impression of a bear staying on an iceberg in the middle of a sea of noodles. Besides the North Pole version, there is also a South Pole one that features a penguin, which is as cute as the polar bear one.

I decided to buy the colorful type of sōmen and add some ice to keep it cold and make it even more like the North Pole. The noodles looked like radiant waves, and the ice was a nice touch, and it also looked cute in pictures.

You can also add some veggies for a bit of color, and if you also have or decide to purchase the polar bear or penguin snowdome for the side dishes and the tsuyu, it will look even cuter.

That same day I was craving a cold beverage, so I thought, well, I have a cute container, so how about using it to make some fruit punch, too. I bought soda, pineapple, bananas, canned fruits (including tangerines), made some mochi balls (白玉団子 shiratama dango), and used the North Pole bowl.

You can use it not only for the cold noodles, but also for beverages, or to make a fruit salad, even for shaved ice. Making kakigōri did come to mind, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the necessary items to make it happen. I am, however, sure it would look amazing in the bowl.

One costs 2,728 yen (tax included), and both designs are now available on the grape SHOP.

If you are interested in buying the snowdomes, too, you can find them here, in two designs: polar bear (シロクマ shirokuma) and penguin (ペンギン pengin) for 1,628 yen (tax included).