With the end of school and the start of summer vacation, there are many things to do in and around town, especially in Tokyo. With Memorial Day weekend as the official start of summer with the fireworks and BBQ grills going, in Japan the official start to summer holiday is Marine Day (海の日 – Umi no hi), which is usually on the 3rd Monday of July. After the long weekend you will start seeing many matsuri (portable shrine) and hanabi (firework) festivals going on around town. I’m from Vancouver, and in Vancouver we have the “Celebration of Lights” every summer. This is when three countries compete, on three different days, to see who can put on the best fireworks display and on the fourth day, the winner voted by the general public will put on a final show. Generally, a fireworks display would last anywhere between 15-30 minutes around the world. Yeah, not in Japan! During the Hanabi Festival, the shortest display of fireworks can be anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour long, with two hours being the usual max.
So what is the “boom factor”? In Japan, during the Hanabi festival, the Japanese like to grade each display by how big the “boom” the fireworks are. The largest “boom factor” show in Tokyo is the Sumidagawa River Fireworks Festival where the “boom factor” is 20,000. All the other fireworks being held in and around Tokyo can be anywhere from 3,000-14,000 boom factors. Do you know the boom factor of your fireworks?
Like anywhere else in the world, the day of the fireworks festival is an all day event. In Japan, many people get to the site of the fireworks early to save the optimal spot for the viewing. Groups tend to bring their own portable grills to grill up food or even just a bento box (boxed lunch) from the convenience store. For those who don’t have a grill and don’t want food from the convenience store, there are many street vendors to chose from, not only selling food but beer as well.
Note: In Japan you are allowed to drink in public! I’ve not only drank beer while walking down the street, I’ve also drank beer while I was on the train! However, drinking on the train of any sort is frowned upon. Why? Just in case you spill your drink. That and talking on your cell phone (big no-no): I’ve seen people being yelled at by old ladies for this social faux pas!!
Other entertainment you can find while waiting for the fireworks is trying to catch goldfishes with a paper catcher, a game popular with the kids, as well as seeing a mini-fashion show with all the different styles of yukata (the summer kimono) all the young girls are wearing.
Another way to view the fireworks is to plan a “booze cruise” with your friends. A “booze cruise” is just as the name suggests. Usually offered during the summer months, you and your friends can rent a boat to take you around the harbour while you eat and drink. As the starting time of the fireworks nears, the boat stops so you can sit, relax, and enjoy the show on the water. The foods typically served on these cruises are tempura, sushi, and deep-fried fish. The price per person to do thus typically sets you back approximately $100 for the most lavish cruise, and around $30 for the most basic.
Other foods usually served, for those who want to stay on dry land, are takoyaki (octopus balls), yaki-soba, okanomiyaki (Japanese-style pancake made with cabbage), yakitori (meat on a stick, kind of like a shish kebab minus the vegetables), and bananas dipped in chocolate.
To find out more about the fireworks festivals being held in and around Tokyo, visit the Metropolis website for the full listings.
[Photos courtesy of flickr: SkylineGTR, Jay.Shankar, suneko]
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yo wazzup… i just wanted to say that my C64 is crashing when I click on the pics… are you using some js or something?
I truly like your article. Does it copyright guarded?