Firework season is here! There are lots of different places to go and see fireworks in Japan, but with so many options it can be difficult choosing where exactly to go. So here’s a list of recommended firework destinations to visit around the city, each fully-loaded with their own unique firework displays!
33rd Ichikawa Civic Fireworks Display
The Ishikawa Hanabi Taikai is held in Ishikawa and Edogawa simultaneously where both cities compete against each other to put on the best display to the 490,000 attendees. Around 14,000 fireworks are launched in total with 8 different themes while accompanied by music. The opening fireworks alone total around 1,000 fireworks, all of which are launched in just 5 seconds! The entirety of the festival is also broadcast live on J:COM.
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33rd Ichikawa Civic Fireworks Display
Date: August 5, 2017 – 19:15-20:30
(In the case of rain the event will be postponed to August 6th. In the case of rain on August 6th the event will cease)
Location: Kasenshiki, Edogawa, Taishuu San-chome
Full details regarding J:COM can be found here: http://www.jcom.co.jp/service/tv/
Jingu Gaien Hanabi
Jingu Gaien Hanabi is a busy and long-established unique firework festival that also hosts concerts preceeding the firework show. Lots of artists attend every year to perform at the festival. This year, the event will hold a collaboration with the movie “Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?” Japanese singer DAOKO, who sings the main theme song for the film, is scheduled to perform at the event.
For full details regarding the collaboration, please visit: Collaboration Between “Jingu Gaien Hanabi Taikai” Firework Festival & Anime “Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?”
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2017 Jingu Gaien Hanabi Taikai (38th Taikai)
Date: August 20, 2017 (in case of postponement, August 21th is also booked)
Firework show will begin at 19:30 and finish at 20:30.
Location: Meiji Jingu Gaien
Funabashi Port Water Park Fireworks Festival
This is one of Japan’s featured summer firework festivals. Held at Funabashi, the event draws in around 80,000 people. As part of a special program to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Funabashi’s rise to city status, the firework show will give rise to a diverse array of unique fireworks. It will open with 800 fireworks being launched in just 8 seconds, as well as feature fireworks 80 meters tall, gourmet fireworks creating the image of hard clams (a food that Funabashi specialises in), sports fireworks toasting players from Funabashi, and more.
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Funabashi Port Water Park Fireworks Festival
Date/Time: August 2, 2017 – 19:30 to 20:30
Location: Funabashi Port Water Park
Tachikawa Showa Kinen Park Fireworks Festival
Over 360,000 people attend this festival where almost 5,000 fireworks are launched. It is packed with sights to see including firework various techniques such as ‘isshaku gosun tama’ and ‘gei kyou tama.’ The outdoor location can fit more than twice the number of people than Tokyo Dome. There’s lots to be excited about when it comes to this festival.
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Tachikawa Showa Kinen Park Fireworks Festival
Date/Time: July 29, 2017 – 19:20 to 20:20
Location: Tachikawa Showa Kinen Park, Minna no Harappa
Price: Adults (15 years and over) ￥410 / Children (between 6-15 years old)
Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise Symphony of Fireworks “Fireworks HANABI Symphonia -meets Sky Light Magic-“
This unique firework show uses computer technology to synchronise fireworks and music within 0.1 seconds of each other. By using a combination of fireworks, visuals and music, the captivating display of the “Sky Light Magic” show will light up the giant rooftop of the Aqua Museum to create and even more entertaining show.
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Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise Symphony of Fireworks “Fireworks HANABI Symphonia -meets Sky Light Magic-“
Dates: July 15th, July 16th, July 22nd, July 29th, August 5th, August 11th-19th
*Running every Saturday and during Obon
Time: From 20:30 (approx. 10 mins)
Viewing Location: Board Walk
※In case of rain, the show will be suspended.
How about spending your night under the sky this summer at a special fireworks festival in Japan?
writer: Ellie Howlett
Translation: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga
Related Article：5 Yukata Rental Shops in Tokyo—Enjoy the Japanese Summer Fireworks and Festivals Even More
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Edo Punk! The Dynamic World of Ukiyo-e
Release Date: November 24, 2022
Price: ¥2,400 (Excluding Tax)
Author: Shoko Haruki
Official Site: https://pie.co.jp/book/i/5414/
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Hyakunin Isshu Uba ga Etoki - Sojo Henjo / Katsushika Hokusai, The Sumida Hokusai Museum.
Hyakunin Isshu Uba ga Etoki - Ariwara no Narihira / Katsushika Hokusai, The Sumida Hokusai Museum. (Phase 2)
The Five Great Poets, Tsuki - Katsushika Hokusai, The Sumida Hokusai Museum. (Permanently on Display)
By the middle of the Edo period, the Hyakunin Isshu, or 100 classical poems, had become an established part of Japanese culture. Hokusai, an ukiyo-e artist of the period, painted a total of 27 of these famous poems, incorporating his own ideas and views to create unique pieces still beloved so many years later. This exhibition features 24 paintings from the museum’s Hyakunin Isshu collection along with dozens more items pertaining to this legendary collection of writings. Don’t miss it!Information
Hokusai at Play with the 100 Poems
Running: December 15, 2022 – February 26, 2023
*Certain exhibits will be changed between the first and second phases.
Phase 1: December 15, 2022 – January 22, 2023
Phase 2: January 24 – February 26, 2023
Hours: 9:30-17:30 (Last entry at 17:00)
Official Site: https://hokusai-museum.jp
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Over the years, the Gajoen has served as a restaurant and gathering place for visitors from both the Showa-era and Heisei-era. Filled with traditional Japanese aesthetics, the location is now filled with art and pieces of cultural significance. A number of special exhibitions are held throughout the year. Why not come enjoy this tour of a piece of Japanese history? Information
Winter Tour: Hyakudan Kaidan 2022
~Architecture, Beauty, and Tales of Tradition~Running: December 3 – December 25, 2022
Hours: 12:30 – 18:00 (Last entry at 17:30)
Venue: Hyakudan Kaidan (Hundred Stairs)
Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, Hotel Gajoen Tokyo
Details: https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/100event/tour2022 -
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First Public Viewing of the Jodan-no-ma in the Joraku-den
The Joraku-den was added to Nagoya Castle to accommodate the third Shogun, Iemitsu, on his way to Kyoto. It is the most luxurious of all the Honmaru Palace buildings, and this event marks the first time that the Chrysanthemum Corridor on the north side will be open to the public. Visitors are welcome to admire the golden-blue paintings as they stroll through the historic site.See Spectacular Paintings when Entering the Tsugi-no-ma Room
During this period, visitors can enter the Tsugi-no-ma room to view classical period paintings, giving a more clear idea of how people acted and dressed during this time in history.[Ninomaru Garden Special Viewing]
~Witness a Never-Before-Seen Feudal Lord's Garden through a Spacial Presentation~Scenography for this unique show was provided by the creative label PERIMETRON. In order to show another side of the Ninomaru Garden at night, the company focused on light’s characteristics, from reflection and transmission to refraction and absorption. Light and shadow intertwine in various ways, and guests will be transfixed by this curious showing.Information
Nagoya Castle: Autumn Night Special Viewing ~KEI~
Running: November 25 – December 8, 2022
Viewing Hours: 9:00-19:30 (Gates close at 20:00)
Official Site: https://www.nagoyajo-kei.jp/
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Let’s Go Expo 2025 Countdown 3 ~Yumeshima Fireworks~