We’ve passed the peak of summer fireworks season, so this weekend may be your last chance to catch a pyrotechnic show in Tokyo. The good news is that there are three happening in Tokyo this Saturday – well, one of them is actually Tokyo-adjacent, ie, Yokohama.
The three fireworks events vary in scale. The Edogawa Fireworks Festival, which is our favourite, is the grandest of them all, featuring 14,000 rockets and lasting around an hour. The Kanazawa Fireworks Festival also runs for an hour and it’s by the sea. The pyrotechnic display at Akishima Citizen Whale Festival, on the other hand, could be the least crowded of the three (relatively speaking), as it’s held on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Edogawa Fireworks Festival
August 24
The Edogawa Fireworks Festival deploys over 14,000 rockets, with different themes every few minutes. This is Tokyo’s most eastern hanabi, but don’t be late: the show starts in style with 1,000 sparkling rockets shot up at once within the first five seconds, marking a breathtaking start into a colourful performance.
The event takes place from 7.15pm to 8.20pm on the banks of the Edogawa River near Shinozaki Park, a roughly 20-minute walk from Shinozaki Station.
Kanazawa Fireworks Festival
August 24
Yokohama’s southernmost ward of Kanazawa is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its annual fireworks festival this year at the beachfront Marine Park (Yokohama Umi no Koen). A total of 3,500 shells of fireworks will be launched from the nearby Hakkeijima island. Watch out for special pyrotechnic effects such as the crowd-pleasing giant starmines and a colourful explosion shaped like Kanazawa ward’s mascot, Botan-chan.
Akishima Citizen Whale Festival
August 24
Tokyo’s Akishima neighbourhood has been celebrating Kujiramatsuri for over 50 years. The name means ‘whale festival’ in Japanese, and the annual celebration started with the discovery of ancient whale fossils along the banks of the Tama River in August 1961.
At this festival, you can expect around 40 stalls serving traditional Japanese street food like yakisoba, grilled corn, takoyaki and buttered steamed potatoes. Kids will enjoy fun fair games such as target shooting and yo-yo fishing.
Both days feature performances by singers, dancers and superhero mascots, but you’ll only get to see its 30-minute fireworks show on Saturday August 24 at 8pm. Sunday, on the other hand, will host a parade from Akishima Station’s South exit to Showa Park. This starts at 4pm.
For more things to do this weekend, see our curated list of events.
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