The 10 Best Seasonal Fireworks in Japan, Japan

The main Suwako Hanabi fireworks show is held late in the summer. It is one of Japan's most notable shows, being one of the largest, with over 40,000 individual rockets fired into the air against the city lights and mountainous backdrop of Nagano. The main treat is the Grande Finale, where over a mile of cascading fireworks are set off all at once, in a breathtaking display. The secondary festival, in September, focuses on more technical, experimental, and customized styles of rocket.

One of the three great fireworks festivals of Japan, this is the main event that heralds the finale of the Nagaoka Festival. It was selected in 2016 as No.1 fireworks events, as chosen by noted fireworks experts. A must-see is a super-massive ball of fireworks, the "star mine," which is a congeries of five different-colored fireworks launched from five angles, and select Ju-go tama balls crafted by each fireworks veteran, with crowd-pleasing designs. A total of 20,000 fireworks are launched, and attendees number close to one million. The Nagaoka Festival itself was launched in 1946 as the Nagaoka Recovery Festival, a prayer for recovery after the August 1, 1945 air raids.

The highlight of the Ryukyu Kaiensai Matsuri is a distinctive fireworks display, the "Fireworks Illusion" aimed at celebrating the heritage of the island of Okinawa. This rich cultural background is brought vividly to life when the fireworks display is set off alongside a score of Okinawan folk music. Throughout the festival, public concerts are held close to the water; Okinawa's traditional livelihood; which are free to attend.

Held every year on August 15th during Obon, this festival was founded to comfort the souls of those who died in natural disasters, fell in battle, or drowned in the Yahagi River. As sutras are chanted and incense is burnt, approximately 2,000 Buddhist lanterns are floated on the river. The ensuing fireworks display lasts for an hour and features about 3,000 fireworks, lighting up the river together with the lanterns. The fireworks are set off from sandbars along the river, and watching the display at such close range-150 meters, soaring right up above you-makes for a spectacular visual and tactile experience.

A tradition dating back to 1910, this fireworks festival is known throughout Japan as the definitive fireworks meet, with pyrotechnicians from throughout the nation competing to show off their skills. The new technologies on display top themselves every year, and the stories told by the displays and innovative production values are highlights. Competitors vie in three categories: daytime fireworks, #10 round-shell fireworks, and creative fireworks. The overall champion receives the Prime Minister's Prize. The finale, featuring wide starmines a year in the making from the Omagari Fireworks Cooperative Association, is an absolute can't-miss, with a story and scale that leaves viewers speechless.

The Yatsusiro All Japan Fireworks Competition is held on the third Saturday of October in Yatsusiro, Kumamoto Prefecture. It is the only competitive fireworks competition in western Japan. Thirty skilled fireworks experts from around the country congregate to vie for the prize. In addition to the competition, there is a musical fireworks show, with the blasts timed to music, and the "Wide Star Mine," where a huge barrage of fireworks all go up. In total, 12,000 beautiful fireworks illuminate the skies of Yatsusiro. In addition to free seating along the banks of the Kuma River, there are also special VIP seats to see the action up close.

This fireworks festival is held each summer in Toda City in the southeastern region of Saitama Prefecture. Located upstream of the Toda Bridge along the Ara River that flows through the city, visitors will be able to enjoy a total of 12,000 fireworks when combined with the Itabashi Fireworks Festival that will be held at the same time on the opposite shore. One feature of the Todabashi Fireworks Festival is the closeness between the place where the fireworks will be set off and the viewing area, allowing visitors to experience the full scale and sound of the pyrotechnics. The combination of large fireworks and star mines makes for a compelling program, and the giant star mines that constitute the finale are especially impressive.

A fireworks display that draws crowds of 410,000 or more people every year and is known as the tradition that decorates the summer night sky of Kashiwa and Abiko in Chiba Prefecture. At three venues in Kashiwa and Abiko, which surround Lake Teganuma, fantastic underwater fireworks, powerful Ultra-Jumbo Star Mines, and popular children's character fireworks are among the approximately 13,500 fireworks launched. Since the firework preferences vary at each launch venue, the unique fun of the "Teganuma Fireworks Display" is being able to sample the differences by moving from one location to another. There are also many stalls opened, centered around cheap and popular dishes.

This firework display takes place every August in Tateyama city, Chiba prefecture. Tateyama Bay is also known as Kagami ga Ura ("Mirror Inlet" in Japanese) because, with its gentle waves, it looks just like a mirror. The event sees 10,000 fireworks set off across the Hojo Coast on Tateyama Bay. The highlight is when number eight water fireworks, which are the biggest in the Kanto area, are set off over the surface of the water. You cannot miss the extra-large star mine, which appears within a sequence of 100 star mines large and small. On the day, there is a flamenco stage organized by students. As the fireworks begin, people at the venue simultaneously erupt into even greater excitement.