Top 10 Seasonal Fireworks in Chubu, 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 Iwata Summer Festival Fireworks represent the quintessential image of summer in Fukude, Iwata. Held mainly at Hamabo Park, roughly 5,000 multicolored fireworks are launched to the accompaniment of electric organ music. A variety of events take place before the fireworks start, including Hawaiian hula dancing and yosakoi dancing. With countless street vendors and food stalls, the whole family is sure to love this fireworks show.

The Atami Fireworks are unique in Japan, in that they take place once every season rather than once a year. Shot off over Atami Bay, spectators watch from the beachfront along the waterway, sharing picnics and marveling at the bursts of color. Especially lauded is Atami's aquatic themed rocket, used in the Grand Finale: the "Aerial Niagara Fall".

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.

This huge fireworks festival is held every summer in Toyota, Aichi as the finale to the Toyota Oiden Matsuri. Approximately 13,000 multicolored fireworks are launched from Shirahama Park along the banks of the Yahagi River, dazzling the sky in tune to music. The display features numerous high points, such as a "Niagara Falls" firework display and a spectacular display from the Japan Fireworks Artists Association. This extravaganza has received high marks and widespread popularity from locals, fireworks fans, and experts alike.

The Anjinsai Lantern Fireworks show is held on the Matsukawa River, which runs through the center of Ito, as one of the Ajinsai events. At the lantern floating ceremony that starts at 7:30pm, about 2,000 lanterns are set afloat, fantastically bobbing on the surface of the water. Afterwards, about 800 fireworks are launched over the course of 10 minutes, their light illuminating the lanterns.

Also known as the "Nihon Line," this fireworks festival is held along the picturesque Kiso River. About 3,000 starmines and other fireworks make for a dazzlingly colorful display against the night sky-together with the nearby presence of the illuminated Inuyama Castle, they create a spectacle like none other. The venue is easily accessed from public transportation hubs: it's right near Inuyama-Yuen Station and an eight-minute walk from the JR Unuma Station. Traffic is restricted near the event venue, so public transportation is the best choice.

The Ojiya Matsuri is a three-day summer festival held annually in Ojiya, Niigata prefecture, and is the largest in the city. A variety of unique performances follow one after another, including a costumed Bon Festival dance, a folk dance, bullfighting, and a mechanical lantern puppet parade. In particular, the fireworks display is known as being the largest in the prefecture with over 7,000 fireworks shells, lighting up the summer sky with a variety of multicolored fireworks including set pieces, chrysanthemum bursts, and waterfall cascades. The extra-large "civilian group participation" chrysanthemums that mark the finale are a must-see. The overwhelming impressiveness of the event is truly mesmerizing.