Fireworks over the Arakawa River
To avoid the insane crowds, which can approach a million people, at the Sumida River Fireworks, we decided to stake out a place at the Adachi Hanabi Taikai (足立の花火) instead. Attendance the prior year was “only” 600,000 people so I arrived a little before 2 p.m. to lay down my blue tarp. Most spots were still available as it had been raining hard all morning. The wind and rain picked up at times; sometimes it seemed like a typhoon. I had to head for cover on several occasions during the afternoon.
The rains ceased just before the show began at 7:30 p.m. The atmosphere was electric. People filed in from who knows where at the last minute. The show was spectacular. Here is a short video showing just a few seconds of the full hour worth of fireworks.