TapTrip Blog: Hanabi: meet how a typical japanese firework festival is!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Hanabi: meet how a typical japanese firework festival is!

Fireworks are very common in many places in the world, but it can vary according to the celebration. In Brazil and some other Western countries everyone watches fireworks during New Year. But, in Japan normally they occur during the summer and this is not the only difference.
Another difference is the duration. Before going to hanabi (that's how japaneses call fireworks), I was surprised when a friend said it takes about one hour while in my country it must take mere 15 minutes.
This same friend invited me to my first hanabi when summer had just begun in Japan. I had to meet her near to the place where it would be held. I was very afraid of getting lost, but was easy to find the place because many people dressing yukata was going there. Yukata is a typical japanese clothing (similar to kimono, but a little more simple) and many people use it to attend summer festivals. And, of course, I was not an exception.

Although the fireworks were scheduled to start at 7pm, we got there much earlier, about 4 hours before to get a good spot near to the lake. We took a picnic towel to mark the spot in case we need to leave to buy food, drink or something. Everybody did the same and some people used adhesive tape to write their names on it.

By the way, it's important to buy foods and drinks in advance to avoid long lines in the tents and very long lines in the convenient stores near to the event. As we need to stay there for hours until the hanabi starts, nothing better than enjoying this time with friends having some snacks.
When you realize, the time has passed and the show has started. Yes, we could call it a show because, during the fireworks, japanese and international songs are played on the background which makes the spectacle more beautiful.

When it was done, we decided to take the way back right away and it was a big mistake because many people decided to do the same and that's when we realized how crowded the place was. Everybody had to walk slowly until the nearest station and wait a little more than usual to take the train. So, a good recommendation is staying more in your spot until everybody leaves and the streets get more empty.
This is how a typical firework event occurs in Japan. What about your country? Which kind of firework festivals happen in there? Leave a comment and tell more details. If you took pictures, upload them in Taptrip and share with the whole world!