Sumida Fireworks (Photo courtesy of Sumida-ku)
Night skies in the Land of the Rising Sun – from Hokkaido to Tokyo to Okinawa – blaze with the brilliance of “hanabi,” or fireworks, nearly every weekend in August. In fact, a cursory glance shows more than 80 fireworks festivals nationwide starting in July through the end of the month.
Fireworks in Japan are often the crescendo of a city or town’s summer festival, but they are also often the focus of the festival itself. They range from viewing displays along a river, aboard a “yakatabune” (houseboat) or against the backdrop of the 2,080-foot Skytree in Tokyo, to taking them in as a follow-up to an Okinawa sunset at Emerald Beach where light refracted off the aquamarine water and white sands enhance the pyrotechnics.
Miura Beach Fireworks (Photo by Miyuki Takiguchi)
Sumida Fireworks (Photo courtesy of Sumida-ku)
Don’t miss the show as Japanese fireworks are renowned worldwide for their artistic qualities – perfect shapes, exquisite colorings and enormous sizes, as well as the poetic sense of ephemerality they produce. In many cases, a single firework changes colors two to three times after it is launched.
Not only the fireworks itself, but the event sites often offer various funs. There are plenty of food and entertainment booths where you can find just about anything.
Wearing a “yukata,” a casual summer kimono, may add to your overall enjoyment. A yukata ensemble can usually be purchased for less than $70. It’s a great photo op.
When you’re enjoying a hanabi festival, feel free to join the locals in shouting “Tamaya!” or “Kagiya!” These are the names of popular rival pyrotechnics from the Edo era and are still used instead of “Bravo.”
FIREWORKS LISTING
Atsugi Ayu Festival Fireworks (Near Atsugi)
One of Kanto’s largest Hanabi festivals – 10,000 fireworks with 656-foot-high “Niagara Falls”
Date: Aug. 3
Time: 7 – 8 p.m.
Location: Sagami River Bank (15-minute walk from Odakyu Hon-Atsugi Station)
Tel: 046-295-5496
Atsugi Ayu Festival Fireworks (Photo courtesy of Atsugi City)
---
Aomori Fireworks Festival (Near Misawa)
You can enjoy both 10,000 shells of fireworks and traditional “nebuta” lantern floats at the same time
Date: Aug. 7
Time: 7:15 – 9 p.m.
Location: Aomori Port (Aomori City in Aomori Prefecture)
Tel: 017-718-1135
---
Jingu Gaien Fireworks (Tokyo)
10,000 shells of fireworks will be launched in accordance with active music
Date: Aug. 10
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Jingu Gaien in Kasumigaoka Town, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 0570-055-002
---
Shikamachi Furusato Summer Festival Fireworks (Near Sasebo)
1,200 shells of fireworks will light up Sasebo Gulf for 30 minutes
Date: Aug. 13
Time: 9 – 9:30 p.m.
Location: Shikamachi Fishing Port in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Tel: 0956-77-4111
---
Asia Port Festival in Kanmon 2024 (Near Iwakuni)
15,000 shells of fireworks will light up the Kanmon Strait between Honshu and Kyushu islands
Date: Aug. 13
Time: 7:40 – 8:45 p.m.
Location: Kaikyo Yume Tower and Aruka Port in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Tel: 083-223-2001
---
Hiratsuka Fireworks Display (Near Zama and Atsugi)
3,000 shells of fireworks will light up Shonan Beach
Date: Aug. 23
Time: 7 – 8 p.m.
Location: Shonan Itako (at the mouth of the Sagami River) in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 0463-35-8107
---
Miyagase Furusato Festival Fireworks (Near Zama and Atsugi)
Small-size fireworks, Bon odori, game and food booths near Camp Zama and NAF Atsugi
Date: Aug. 14, 15 and 16
Time: 7:30 – 7:40 p.m.
Location: Miyagase Lake Park in Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 046-210-3226
---
Koedo Kawagoe Fireworks (Near Yokota)
8,000 shells of fireworks will light up traditional district of Kawagoe
Date: Aug. 24
Time: 7:15 – 8:15 p.m.
Admission to the site: 100 yen for city residents and 1,000 yen for visitors
Location: Abina Shinsui Park in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
Tel: 049-224-5940
