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Fireworks Festivals

August in Japan is all about fireworks festivals. The largest festivals can have up to 42,000 fireworks attracting more than 1,390,000 spectators.

Street vendors are part of the fun of visiting these festivals with their yakisoba (fried noodles), okonomiyaki (pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki (octopus balls), and shaved ice, which are some of the few staple street foods any local would expect at a Japanese festival.

For the kids are festival games such as kingyo-sukui (goldfish-catching). Families, friends, and couples attend these festivals sitting on mats like a picnic eating and drinking while watching the beautiful hanabi, literally “fire flowers,” shoot up into the sky.

Many young women wear yukata, a traditional Japanese summer garment, to add to the excitement of the outing.