Urvashi BundelTOKYO, JAPAN. Summer is in its full swing in Tokyo! It’s time to go to the firework festivals in Yukata. Summer fireworks also known as Hanabi Taikai in Japaneseis currently happening all over Japan, and I happen to visit some of the key summer festivals this summer.
Celebration costumes
On the last Saturday of July, Edo – a traditional old town Tokyo’s sky was dazzling in myriad of colors with tens and thousands of fireworks. The annual event takes places at the banks of Sumida River also known as Sumida-gawa, bringing the golden period of Japanese summer festivities to life. It is not uncommon to discover young men and women in colorful Yukata -a summer version of Kimono on this occasion; neither it is rare to find people flocking for ice-shavings of blue Hawaiian or green melon flavors. Neither are the traditional yells of spectators shouting “Kagiya!” and “Tamaya!” (leading fireworks manufacturers – Kagiya and Tamaya, at the time), when the fireworks set off!
As per some traditional explanations, the roots of such festivals lie in dedicating water deity and appeasing souls. In pictures are the delightful scenes from fireworks of Sumida River. For more details access here.