When we think of fireworks, many of us will think of New Year celebrations – certainly us Brits reminisce about sticky gloves covered in toffee apple whilst watching displays on the 5th November each year.
In Japan however, fireworks are displayed in the Summer months and are an integral part of the season. Each year huge events take place across the country, many welcoming thousands of spectators. Wearing summer kimono called yukata is a popular way to enjoy the displays, and food stalls called yatai are always ready to provide you with a delicious evening snack.
The most impressive firework display I have ever seen was on a warm Summer night, at a festival named ‘The Heiwasai Hozugawa Fireworks Festival’, in Kameoka – a countryside town around 30 minutes on the other side of the Western Kyoto mountains.
Arriving at Nijo Station to board a train for Kameoka around 90 minutes before the fireworks were even scheduled to begin, perhaps 200 people were bustling around the rather small station, those without pass cards queuing for tickets. One lady, I remember, who was apparently heading to the fireworks too, was cradling a cat over her shoulder – something I have regretted not asking more about ever since.
On arrival in the tiny Kameoka Station, all four platforms were chock-a-block with people. Marshalls made sure everybody was making their way out of the station and into the fields outside. Granted, it was certainly an experience I won’t likely forget. Crowds can be overwhelming, but this was the complete opposite – everyone was so excited, dressed in their yukata and was getting ready to enjoy a wonderful evening. This is all part of the Japanese hanabi experience!
Japanese fireworks, like their Chinese relatives, come in quite an astonishingly wide variety. In my many years of Bonfire Nights and New Year celebrations – even shows at Disneyland California – I had never seen half of the impressive fireworks displayed at this event. There were so many colours, shapes and sounds – awe-inspiring multi-coloured or colour-shifting firework combinations and styles of explosion I never would have anticipated. My favourite was a rocket that exploded into nothing – only for three seconds later, smaller explosions erupting from that seemingly vanished explosion like palm leaves on an invisible tree. The sheer size and sound of some of the larger rockets was just unbelievable. There were even smiley faces, spaceships, and famous characters like Doraemon depicted by some blasts.
Not only this, but the display lasted for a whole hour and was almost continuous! It was also completely free!! This hour-long spectacle made for plenty of time for enjoying hot yatai snacks and some beers with friends.
The finale was so spectacular that I was somewhat overcome with emotions and I must admit that it made me cry. In fact, I kept thinking ‘that must have been the finale’ again and again, as the last 10 minutes were just so impressive. The actual finale was breath-taking. I have never seen so many fireworks in the sky at once before, and the extraordinary spectacle over the foreground of warm, welcoming yatai stands has to be one of the most monumental Japanese Summer memories for me.
If you plan to visit Japan in its Summer months, and if there is an accessible display on your travels – please do not come home without seeing the absolute marvel that is a Japanese hanabi festival. The atmosphere will be buzzing, the food will be awesome, the fireworks will be stunning, and you may even shed a tear too!