Edogawa Fireworks August 2019

Having weekends to myself has been the most challenging in terms of how to pass the time enjoyably, but also meaningfully for me.

I have loved fireworks since I was little, but in the US we can only enjoy them once a year really. However, it was always my favorite part of the 4th of July picnics that my family would host. Each year, they got bigger and better, but honestly, once I saw them in Japan nothing ever compared.

Every night, we can see the Disneyland fireworks from our bedroom window, but M thinks I’m crazy to get excited for them. He also felt lukewarm about the shows put on in the UAE, so I figured this was a good chance to go see some summer fireworks and he would not necessarily be disappointed by missing them.

The only issue with attending any major event in Japan is the crowds. It doesn’t matter where you go, if it’s an event, you’ll be sharing it with thousands of other people. So, I decided to be proactive in minimizing my crowd-discomfort and bought a ticket to ensure that I would get a seat to enjoy the show. Plus, I would have a safe place to aim for to keep me from being overwhelmed with too many people.

Despite my planning ahead in buying a ticket in order to avoid the chaos involved with attending summer fireworks festivals, I ended up on the wrong side of the river. How would anyone ever know this?!

While I do fully appreciate the Japanese complacency to follow rules to the letter, I am not such a kind of person when efficiency proves doing so to be completely out the door. The nice staff lady tried to tell me I had enough time to walk another kilometer, get on another train and then find my seat on the other side of the river, all I could think about was that I’d have to return to this side of the river when all is said and done to get home; thus why I thought my seat would be here.

So, taking advantage of the fact that most would not assume that I wouldn’t follow the rules, I snuck back in to the riverside and walked down where people were not on their previously saved blue tarps – the peanut gallery.

I found a nice little free space amongst those who most likely knew better than to consider buying a ticket and knew that one could just show up to find a grassy spot for the viewing.

While waiting for the show to start, I listened to my audiobook and observed as a solitary individual within the sea of chattering people in groups or couples who had come together to experience ‘summer’ culture in Japan. Although it would be basically impossible to merge into a giant BBQ event in the US, it’s rather easy to blend with the crowd of unknown faces while remaining in my own private world looking forward to the moment when the dark sky becomes alight with colors.

What is it about fireworks that people love? What is it about them that I love?

I can’t really say. But, there is something awesome about seeing man’s talent for shooting up bombs of fire that burst into colors, shapes, or designs. In a way, it’s how I imagine the ‘heavens’ with lights blended together into a glorious mass of color.

Edogawa is said to have 14,000 fireworks making it one of the largest shows in Tokyo. The hour long display was marvelous. It was fun to oooh and awwwwe with the crowd and feel a part of the whole audience. Plus, I got to play with my camera to capture the lights!

~T 😀