Viewing the Summer Fireworks 花火

Launched from Rinko Park, Yokohama 横浜

Summer in Japan is a time for fireworks displays. All throughout there are huge fireworks displays, lasting about 30 – 40 minutes long. In preparation for the show it’s quite common to bring a bento and some cold beer, get out the picnic mats and set up at a nice spot for hanabi viewing. Since the fireworks shows usually start around 7 pm it’s a little bit difficult with toddlers. But still Milie and I had to try, since fireworks viewing as fun as hanami time and just one of those things to take part in at least once each season. We set out to see Kanagawa Shinbun Fireworks Display in Yokohama. To our pleasant surprise Keiji, Arisa, and Wes were pretty well-behaved. Although the fireworks were coming from Rinko Park and recommended viewing was from Minatomirai station area, we wanted to avoid the crowds heading back home so we decided against going too close to the launch site. With some help from the Info Booth attendants at Yokohama station we managed to find an open-air viewing spot from the Sogo department store. It seemed to be a popular spot. When we arrived at around 6 pm, people were already sitting on mats and by 7:30 pm when the show started, the area all around us was full. It turned out to be a pretty good area for fireworks viewing with little ones – we had a direct view of the fireworks, it wasn’t too crowded on the way back (but we did leave a few minutes before the show ended), just a few steps away from the department store in case the kids need to move around for some reason, and convenient to the train station. Can anyone share other good hanabi spots for kids to watch the various fireworks displays in and around Tokyo ?

To get there from Yokohama station follow the exit signs for Sogo department store and go down to level B1 where there is an underground passage full of shops and restaurants. This leads to the Sogo food section which happens to be a good place to pick up some bento as well. Take those elevators to the 3rd floor and follow signs to a passageway going to Bay Quarter.