Fireworks, called hanabi in Japanese, are a summer staple here in Japan.
I don't think there's ever been a summer without going to a hanabi festival or just fireworks in the park with friends. But fireworks are definitely linked to summer here and I can't seem to do without it.
This year, I took my beautiful new picnic blanket (you can probably tell from the pictures that I want to show it off! haha!) with me to the hanabi festival in Ichikawa. It's a city in Chiba prefecture, located along the Edogawa river. We had a little picnic of festival food before the fireworks started. And then we just rolled over and enjoyed the show in the night sky while we oohed and ahhed :D
Here are some pictures:
My sister with her we-found-a-great-spot smile :D
I got free uchiwa's (a hand fan) the night before and decided to redecorate them!
This is how we save seats! The whole riverside on both shores was a sea of picnic sheets.
There were lots of different festival food stalls along the river.
Anzu-ame, a festival favorite, is apricot dipped in sweet syrup.
People start gathering as the time for fireworks comes near.
People also watch the fireworks from boats called Yakatabune.
We had a glorious sunset...you can even see the Skytree in the distance!
My absolute festival favorite is Gyaga-batah, which literally means potato-butter.
The fireworks start off with a bang!
Tons of people were there watching the fireworks!
Something special about each explosion of lights. Aren't fireworks fabulous?
It was a pretty great night...might have to make this an annual event!
"Bright lights and the big city.
It belongs to us tonight."
- Cee Lo Green