The Best Fireworks Ever! Tateyama's Fireworks Festival 史上最高の花火！館山市の花火大会

Last I checked, we did not have these kind of fireworks in America.
知っている限りはアメリカにはこんな花火大会はありません。

On August 8th every year Tateyama holds a fireworks festival, which boasts the largest scale fireworks and some of the biggest fireworks in Eastern Japan. 

毎年８月８日に、関東最大規模を誇る花火大会は館山市で開催されます。

They have these fireworks called "sui-chu hanabi" which means that these fireworks are set-off from the surface of the water at the beach.  You hear a big crack, and then the sky is set ablaze and the little ripples in the water sparkle and glow.  I love it, although I feel sorry for the fish.  They're probably scared to death.

水中花火と呼ばれて、海から上がる花火なんです。『ドン！』という音がして、空が光り輝いて、海のささ波がキラキラとします。私はこの光景が大好きです。魚達がちょっと可哀想と思いますけど。ひどく脅えていたでしょう。

This is probably the closest you'll get to fireworks, too, as they seem to be only about 200 meters out .  I could even feel a little bit of debris from the explosives float through the air and land on my cheek.

私の推測としては、この水中花火は砂浜からただの200メトルぐらい離れた所で上がるから、こんなに花火の近くで見る機会は中々ないでしょう。瀑材からの埃は風に運ばれて、頬に降りてきました。

This is all taking place on the right end of the beach while, on the left end, traditional fireworks are being shot off from a dock.  The sui-chu fireworks gradually get closer and closer to the dock until they're rght underneath the traditional fireworks. Here's a photo from the local newspaper, The Bonichi Shinbun.

海岸の右側の方に水中花火がうち上げられながら、左側の方に普通の空中花火はドックからうち上げられました。その水中花火は段々ドック近づいていて、最終的に空中花火の真下から上げられました。この下は、房日新聞からの写真です。

The entire show is about 75 minutes of non-stop action.  If you have a little money to spend, you can watch the show from a boat, a little further out from the fireworks, right in the middle of the action.  If you can see something glowing in the bottom right of the photo, that's the boat.

この花火大会の75分の間、花火はこうやってず〜っと打ち上げられます。少しの金銭的な余裕を持っていれば、この花火大会は船からも見ることが出来ます。写真の右下に明るいものはその船です。

yatai photo courtesy of Ebony Bowens

Of course, the word "festival" means that there's not just fireworks, but yatai!  Yatai are little booths selling carnival-esque food like takoyaki, fries, shaved ice, beer, and even Turkish kebabs (mmm... ). The street is blocked off and then lined with these booths as far as you can see.  They all turn on their lights after dark which creates a romantic sort of glow at night.

Of course, so Japanese summer festival is complete without yukata!  My friends and I were ready....
もちろん、日本の夏のお祭りは浴衣あっての存在です！

photo courtesy of Kim H.

Long story short, this year's fireworks were a TON of fun.  I can't wait for next year's.  Who's coming?
簡単に言うと、今年の花火大会はすご〜く楽しかったです。来年のも楽しみ！来ない？

Liz