First Experience at Japanese Hanabi

“Would you like to go to see hanabi together?” asked HJ from Grade 12. I was instinctively going to say no for two reasons. 1) Too much work to do. 2) Too many people. However, eventually, she convinced me by saying that it is the last chance for us to watch the hanabi, as many of the seniors, including myself, are leaving Japan next year. The fireworks at the Yodogawa river were nothing like what I had imagined.

To introduce the annual festival briefly, the Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival has been running for 31 years, and the magnificent fireworks are known to be the symbol of summer in Naniwa. The program has been organized by local volunteers since 1989 and has gained increasing popularity over the years. Due to COVID-19, the festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021. But this year, the event was scheduled on August 27th, and VIP seats were for sale.

A lot of our school students had gone to the festival. I was with HJ, and we took the Hankyu train from Umeda. The train was packed with people (definitely worse than the morning rush hour) and we were barely hanging onto the handles. At this point, neither HJ nor I realized that this was just the beginning. When we got out of the station, I firmly grabbed onto HJ’s backpack to get through the crowd alive. This was two hours before the actual event.

Everything was unreal, including the number of people I was surrounded by, as well as the color of the sky and clouds. We joined some of our other friends and bought mango kakigōri (shaved ice—oh my gosh you need to try this).

I had never in my life seen that many people gathered in one area. I wouldn’t have recognized anyone even if I walked past them. When the fireworks finally started, I felt like I was receiving a reward for surviving through the crowds. At first, I was busy taking photos with friends, which were extremely satisfying to take at the exact time when the fireworks exploded, but then I just felt very relaxed and zoned out. I momentarily forgot everything else that happened on the day.

The last 10 to 15 minutes of the event was the highlight, where the largest fireworks were launched. It seemed as though gold was raining from the sky. The view was so terrific that I stopped filming on the phone and just watched the hanabi with my eyes.

I think that events like the Yodogawa festival are those events that help you to forget about all of your problems and heal your soul. I highly recommend going to see the hanabi with your loved ones if there’s a chance next year. I guarantee that you will make priceless memories at the festival.