I'm trying to enjoy my last week here to the fullest. It's a bittersweet feeling, having to prepare to leave just as I was starting to feel settled. And it's amazing how quickly you can start to feel attached to people when you see them for ~6 hours every day.
Last weekend was a big hanabi (fireworks) festival here. Okazaki is famous for its fireworks; people apparently come from all over Japan to see them.
One of Yamasa's pages says that "over 70 percent of Japanese fireworks are developed and produced here. The fireworks are usually new designs, and often are those used the following year throughout the rest of Japan - the show also has the flavour of a trade fair as buyers come to see the newest developments."
Due to some overly-vague directions, I failed to meet up with the group from Yamasa, so I just started walking toward Okazaki Castle. Soon enough I started to see people on the street who were dressed up for the festival (in yukata, which is to say, summer kimonos). They were super cute! Especially the boys. Yum.
Um, what was I saying? Oh, so I started to follow people who looked like they knew where they were going, and we ended up on the roof of one of the big department stores near the river (this is apparently where one watches fireworks from in Japan). We had a good view of both the fireworks going up from near the castle and the ones going up from farther off. (Apparently they have to set the bigger ones off across the river so they don't break windows. No joke.)
Now, I'm not the world's biggest fan of fireworks shows (they're pleasant enough, but I find they all have a sort of sameness to them), but I gotta say: Okazaki's fireworks put every show I've ever seen in the past to absolute shame. That includes Niagara Falls, Epcot Center, and, yes, the big Macy's Fourth of July show in New York.
Okazaki's fireworks were prettier, more impressive, and classier -- no contest on any front. My favorite were the ones that went up like cherry trees covered in golden blossoms, and then the blossoms seemed to float down off the tree. So cool!! Also, man, crazy amount of munitions. For most of the show, there was so much happening at once that it felt like the grand finale of the shows back home! And this went on for an unbelievable 3+ hours.
Pictures don't do this kind of thing justice, but naturally I'm going to post some anyway.
So much going on at once.
This is one of the cherry-tree ones. "Feel", by the way, is the name of the department store. I don't know why.
One amusing thing: Along with people shouting "sugoi!" ("amazing!") and "kirei!" (pretty!) I kept hearing shouts of "bravo!" Really? Is that what they think we say?
The kids are all dressed up. Super cute.
Little kids get to wear yukata too!
Sorry for the weird angles. I was trying to be a little circumspect about photographing people, which is a neat trick with a DSLR. >_>
A decent shot of how many people were on the roof.
Since it was pretty dark, I was experimenting with the super high speed film settings on my camera. Ended up with some strange moody shots.
After about an hour and a half, I got bored and decided to walk home. The fireworks continued the whole time, so I took some cool pictures of them reflecting in various, uh, reflect-y things. Because I'm artsy like that.
Starting to make my way home.
God I love this picture. Yes, I'm awfully fond of the mirrors that keep you from getting hit by a car. Also I am an arsty snob.
Reflections in a department store window.
Finally, on an unrelated note: This cookie wrapper has a special message for you, the readers.
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