Times Of TIU

Writer: Anju N.
Editor: Karen W.
Translator: Ferano Ramadhan Kabinawa

　The days are gradually getting warmer and warmer, and summer is just around the corner! I am sure that more and more people are looking forward to their summer vacation. Here is some good news for those who love summer! Recently, due to the coronavirus, firework festivals have been cancelled one after another, but this summer, many fireworks festivals are scheduled to be held! Perhaps there are many E-track students who have never seen Japanese fireworks before? We would like to provide them with information on easy-to-go fireworks shows.

1. Saitama Prefecture

1. The 70th Todabashi Fireworks Festival

Toda City’s fireworks festival is held simultaneously with the “Itabashi Fireworks Festival” across the Arakawa River, but this year it will be renewed and held as the new “Todabashi Fireworks Festival. The finale is a spectacular display of 13,000 fireworks from both banks of the river. From traditional fireworks to cutting-edge fireworks synchronized with music, this is the recommended venue for those who want to see creative fireworks.

Details

Date: Aug. 5

Venue: Arakawa riverside, upstream of Toda Bridge on Route 17

Access: 1 hour from Kasumigaseki Station by train

Official Website: https://www.city.toda.saitama.jp/

2. Nagatoro Funadama Festival

The Nagatoro Funadama Festival is a fireworks display that can be enjoyed together with nature. The festival is held in a mountain valley, so you can feel the powerful bursting sound of the fireworks with your whole body.

Details

Date: August 15

Venue: Nagatoro-cho, Saitama Prefecture

Access: 1.5 hours from Kasumigaseki Station by train

Official website: https://www.nagatoro.gr.jp/

2. Tokyo Metropolitan Area

1. Sumida River Fireworks Display 2023

The Sumida River Fireworks Festival is said to be the oldest fireworks festival in Japan, originating from the “Ryogoku River Opening Fireworks” launched by Yoshimune Tokugawa, the 8th barbarian general in the Edo period (1603-1867). Many people look forward to this event every year to enjoy the fireworks and the view of Tokyo, including the Tokyo Sky Tree. The scale of the fireworks display is so large and popular that it is broadcast live on TV every year. It is a summer tradition in Japan that you should visit at least once in your life.

Details

Date: July 29

Venue: Sumida River, Tokyo

Access: 1.5 hours by train from Kasumigaseki Station

Official website: https://www.sumidagawa-hanabi.com/

2. Itabashi Fireworks Festival

This is a famous summer festival on the Arakawa River, where over 13,000 fireworks are shot off together with Toda on the other side of the river. It is a powerful fireworks display with many highlights, including the largest fireworks display in Tokyo and the famous “Great Niagara Falls. The close proximity of the spectator seats to the fireworks makes it a venue where the echoes and sounds can be enjoyed to the fullest.

Details

Date: Aug. 5

Venue: Arakawa, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, near Todabashi Bridge

Access: 1 hour from Kasumigaseki Station by train

Official website: http://itabashihanabi.jp/

So, how is it?

With so many fireworks shows scheduled, I think it is hard to decide which one to go to. In addition to the fireworks shows introduced here, I am sure that there will be many more to be announced in the future. There are many more famous fireworks shows in Japan than in other prefectures. Why don’t you make a fireworks display one of your summer memories this year?

*Contents are as of May 2023 and ar