Japanese Fireworks Festivals near Tokyo in August 2008

Don’t miss out this weekend (August 2 2008) if you like outdoor festivals with cool Japanese Fireworks (hanabi) displays. Within bullet train distance from Tokyo, there are big fireworks festivals in Iwaki City, Nagaoka and Takasaki City.

Iwakai Onahama-Ko Fireworks Festival
Date: Aug. 2 19:00-20:30
Place: Aqua Marine Park, Iwaki City, Fukushima

Iwaki Port Festival includes fireworks consisting of three segments; a professional pyrotechnic competition, a celebratory competition for amateur civilians and innovative fireworks set to music. The grand finale includes 22 huge ’shakudama’ shells exploding in awesome grandeur.

Nagaoka Fireworks Festival

Date: Aug. 2-3 19:25-21:30
Place: Shinano Riverside, Nagaoka City, Niigata

One of the three biggest Japanese fireworks marks its 100 years anniversary. Special fireworks named ‘Phoenix’ to wish for the successful revival of the area from the devastating earthquake of two years ago will be featured.

Takasaki Festival

Date: Aug. 2 19:40-20:30
Place: Karasugawa Wada bridge Riverside, Takasaki City, Gunma

Kicking off the Takasaki Festival, 15,000 rockets, flares, starbursts and much more are exploded in heart-pounding, rapid-fire bursts in just one blazing hour. View this spectacular from the vantage point of Mt. Takasaki-Kannon.

Later in the month there are Fireworks Festivals at Suwa City (Aug 15), Matsushima Bay (Aug 17) and the Omagari National Japan Fireworks Competition in Akita (Aug 23)

Lake Suwa Fireworks Festival

Date: Aug.15 19:00-21:00
Place: Lakeside of Lake Suwa, Suwa City, Nagano

One of Japan’s most loved fireworks festivals, 40,000 shells are set-off on and over Lake Suwa. To the delight of cheering spectators, stupendous “Starmine” bursts and a hard-to-believe two kilometers long “Niagara” brightens up the sky.

Matsushima Lantern and Fireworks Festival

Date: Aug. 17 19:10-20:30
Place: Around Matsushima Bay, Matsushima-cho, Matsushima-gun, Miyagi

This traditional event is well-known for the multitudes of lanterns that have been floated for the past 700 years on rivers, lakes and seas. During ‘Obon’ Festival, the living relatives send off their ancestor’s spirits on a good journey by lighting and floating colorful lanterns on local waters. The collaboration of fireworks and lanterns is truly a gorgeous and also spiritual sight.

Omagari National Japan Fireworks competition

Date: Aug. 23 18:50-21:40
Place: Omono Riverside, Daisen City, Akita

One of the top firework maker competitions in Japan. The public comes from all over Japan to view the big breath-taking fireworks. Only Japan’s best 30 firework makers are entitled to participate in the competition to show their fireworks created with all their magic.At Atami City in Shizuoka, there are several dates in July and August where they hold half hour fireworks displays.

Atami Sea Fireworks Festival

Date: Jul.25,28, Aug. 5,8,17,21,24, Sep.15, 20:20-20:50
Place: Atami Bay, Atami City, Shizuoka

Visitors can enjoy 5,000 fireworks during this dynamic pyrotechnic celebration. Atami City is justly famed for ‘Onsen’, medicinal, health promoting hot-springs- clients can enjoy evening fireworks shows as well as a relaxing ‘onsen‘.