I have a love-hate relationship with the summer season here in Japan. For those who have never been in Japan for its summer season, let me tell you - Japan's summer is waaaaay worse than Malaysia's. It is hot (no, hot is still an understatement. I think I will call it 'oven'). It makes you sweat like waterfall. It steams you like the live prawn cooked in a pot of steaming hot water (Too bad that I don't have a picture of this dish!). Yes, I am from the near-to-the-equator-hot Malaysia and I surrender to the summer here in Japan. Total surrender.
Fortunately, I love the festivals that are happening in the summer season in Japan, especially the fireworks festival or as we call it here, Hanabi (花火). Not to be confused by Hanami (花見, which is the "flower viewing" in spring e.g. cherry blossom period), hanabi can be literally translated as flowers of fire.
The fireworks festival has a long history in Japan. History has it that in the year 1733, after a year of an epidemic and famine, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, ordered a fireworks display on the Sumida River to appease the souls who died in the epidemic and to ward off the evil spirits who is thought to be behind the disasters. Later on, the fireworks display is used as an entertainment for the upper class of the society while they wine and dine on their leisurely adrift boats in the Sumida River. Soon, the fireworks display assumed an even more prominent role, which is to signal the opening of the boating season. This fireworks display naturally attracts the people of old Edo to come together around the river to enjoy the fireworks display and the coolness of the evening.
This is the reason why today the fireworks festivals are almost always held in a location near a body of water, such as a river, a lake or on a beach. Apart from being able to enjoy the cooler evening air, the body of water also provides a safe location to set off the fireworks and a wide space to accommodate the huge crowd of audience.
Nowadays, the Japanese just enjoys the fireworks as an art on its own, the ephemeral beauty of every sparkle and dazzle. And that kind of thinking has embodied in me too. For me, as much as I hate crowds, I will try to attend at least one fireworks festival every year. This year, I went to a relatively new fireworks event for me which is the Itabashi Annual Fireworks Festival on the Arakawa River. You are guaranteed to have a good view of the fireworks display as the river banks have sloping terrain which overlooks the river. The Itabashi Annual Fireworks Festival was a pretty good show, which you can watch from my video below. Although I didn't like the sloping terrain very much, but it did provide me a good view of the display.
Moreover, this is one of the festivals where you can really immerse in the real Japanese atmosphere. Everyone from the neighbourhood will turn up. Some dressed in the yukata (the traditional summer kimono). They stroll the streets that are lined with food stalls. After getting their food and drink, they spread the picnic sheet and relaxing on the river banks, drinking cold beer while fanning themselves with the uchiwa (round-shaped fans). All there to watch the fireworks display.
There are lots of firework shows are held in various cities around Tokyo between July and August. I believe this coming weekend on 10th August is the Tokyo Bay Fireworks. It is a big fireworks display starting from 6:50pm onwards for almost 1.5hours of the fireworks display. But it is also, one that draws thousands of spectators. If you want to join this fireworks festival, I suggest that you go early enough to secure a place*. You also have to note that the Rainbow Bridge will be closed to the pedestrian during the show.
For more fireworks events, you can check out this website (in English) and this one (in Japanese). The Japanese website will be able to give you more information about the event such as the number of fireworks, the nearest train stations to the event site and you can pay for the special reserved area for the event.
Among all the fireworks festival in Tokyo that I have ever been to, I enjoyed the Edogawa Fireworks Festival the best. The terrain of the river bank is flat and spread out like an empty football field. You can lie down and relax. You can also watch the sun as it sets. There are no tall buildings that will obscure your views of the fireworks display. Except for some annoying photographers with their tall tripods.
Watching fireworks go up into the sky with a big bang, burst into breathtaking lights of dazzle and slowly disappears as a rain of little shimmering sparkles is the kind of spectacle that you have to experience it for yourself at least once in your lifetime.
* Sorry, I have no advice on where and how to get a good view of this event because I avoid this one especially.
So, which fireworks event are you going to join this summer?
Fortunately, I love the festivals that are happening in the summer season in Japan, especially the fireworks festival or as we call it here, Hanabi (花火). Not to be confused by Hanami (花見, which is the "flower viewing" in spring e.g. cherry blossom period), hanabi can be literally translated as flowers of fire.
The fireworks festival has a long history in Japan. History has it that in the year 1733, after a year of an epidemic and famine, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, ordered a fireworks display on the Sumida River to appease the souls who died in the epidemic and to ward off the evil spirits who is thought to be behind the disasters. Later on, the fireworks display is used as an entertainment for the upper class of the society while they wine and dine on their leisurely adrift boats in the Sumida River. Soon, the fireworks display assumed an even more prominent role, which is to signal the opening of the boating season. This fireworks display naturally attracts the people of old Edo to come together around the river to enjoy the fireworks display and the coolness of the evening.
This is the reason why today the fireworks festivals are almost always held in a location near a body of water, such as a river, a lake or on a beach. Apart from being able to enjoy the cooler evening air, the body of water also provides a safe location to set off the fireworks and a wide space to accommodate the huge crowd of audience.
Nowadays, the Japanese just enjoys the fireworks as an art on its own, the ephemeral beauty of every sparkle and dazzle. And that kind of thinking has embodied in me too. For me, as much as I hate crowds, I will try to attend at least one fireworks festival every year. This year, I went to a relatively new fireworks event for me which is the Itabashi Annual Fireworks Festival on the Arakawa River. You are guaranteed to have a good view of the fireworks display as the river banks have sloping terrain which overlooks the river. The Itabashi Annual Fireworks Festival was a pretty good show, which you can watch from my video below. Although I didn't like the sloping terrain very much, but it did provide me a good view of the display.
Moreover, this is one of the festivals where you can really immerse in the real Japanese atmosphere. Everyone from the neighbourhood will turn up. Some dressed in the yukata (the traditional summer kimono). They stroll the streets that are lined with food stalls. After getting their food and drink, they spread the picnic sheet and relaxing on the river banks, drinking cold beer while fanning themselves with the uchiwa (round-shaped fans). All there to watch the fireworks display.
For more fireworks events, you can check out this website (in English) and this one (in Japanese). The Japanese website will be able to give you more information about the event such as the number of fireworks, the nearest train stations to the event site and you can pay for the special reserved area for the event.
Among all the fireworks festival in Tokyo that I have ever been to, I enjoyed the Edogawa Fireworks Festival the best. The terrain of the river bank is flat and spread out like an empty football field. You can lie down and relax. You can also watch the sun as it sets. There are no tall buildings that will obscure your views of the fireworks display. Except for some annoying photographers with their tall tripods.
Watching fireworks go up into the sky with a big bang, burst into breathtaking lights of dazzle and slowly disappears as a rain of little shimmering sparkles is the kind of spectacle that you have to experience it for yourself at least once in your lifetime.
* Sorry, I have no advice on where and how to get a good view of this event because I avoid this one especially.
So, which fireworks event are you going to join this summer?
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