Let's go see the "Omagari Fireworks", the best fireworks display in Japan, tomorrow (August 31st)

• Table of Contents
• Apparently, the biggest fireworks display in Japan will be held tomorrow (August 31st)
• Heading to Omagari by Shinkansen
• After dinner, head to the eve of the festival
• Homestay
• On the morning of the fireworks, spend a relaxing time in a rustic setting
• An annual fireworks competition to decide the best fireworks maker in Japan
• The next day, we went sightseeing in Akita.
• [Advertisement] For tickets to Omagari Fireworks, please contact Fireworks Travel.

Apparently, the biggest fireworks display in Japan will be held tomorrow (August 31st)

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Due to the impact of Typhoon No. 10, the Tokaido Shinkansen to Osaka was suspended for the entire day, so I was forced to reschedule my trip. While eating breakfast, I searched for an attractive destination on my smartphone. While searching for places in the Tohoku region that were less affected by the typhoon, I found an article about the Omagari Fireworks, the best fireworks festival in Japan , to be held tomorrow. Apparently, it is one of the three major fireworks festivals in Japan. It is a historic fireworks competition that has been held for over 100 years, and it seems that you can see the highest quality and most beautiful fireworks in Japan .

Intrigued, I sent a message to the local "fireworks tourism agent" mentioned in the article. I received a reply right away, which simply said, " If you take the Akita Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Omagari Station this afternoon, we'll show you the best fireworks ever! "

Heading to Omagari by Shinkansen

August 30th 13:30 JR Tokyo Station

It takes about three and a half hours from Tokyo Station to Omagari Station on the Akita Shinkansen "Komachi." All seats on the Komachi are reserved, there are no unreserved seats.

So when I arrived at Tokyo Station, I headed first to the automatic ticket machine to get a reserved seat. There was a long line at the manned counter, but the line at the automatic ticket machine was not so long. I touched the language switch in the top right of the screen to change the display language to my native language, inserted my JR Pass, and proceeded to the reserved seat reservation screen. I was able to reserve a seat on the next Komachi train without any problems.

While I was buying coffee and snacks to drink on the train, the departure time approached, so I hurried to the Shinkansen platform.

August 30th 14:20 Departing from JR Tokyo Station

The Komachi train leaves Tokyo Station and heads north. It was relatively crowded up to Sendai, but it was relatively empty from there. A few times, the staff from the train came by pushing a cart, but after Morioka, they stopped coming. As an aside, the beef tongue in Sendai and the cold noodles in Morioka are delicious.

August 30th 17:42 Arrived at JR Omagari Station

When I arrived at Omagari Station, many people got off. Everyone was walking in the same direction, so I followed the flow of people and left the Shinkansen ticket gate and arrived at the platform for the conventional trains. I took the escalator up to the second floor and found that the entire wall was covered with posters for the Omagari Fireworks. The large number of posters made me feel festive, and I excitedly headed towards the ticket gate for the conventional trains. Outside the ticket gate, I saw a man wearing a T-shirt with a fireworks pattern waving. I approached him and shook his hand, and he said with a big smile, "Welcome to Omagari Fireworks!" and then introduced himself as "Tomo."

After dinner, head to the eve of the festival

August 30th 18:00 Dinner

We went to a yakitori restaurant that Tomo had reserved and enjoyed local cuisine and delicious sake. Akita Prefecture, where Omagari is located, is famous for its local chicken, and the chicken was indeed delicious.

August 30th 20:00 Outdoor Live

Asuka Aoya

After leaving the dinner restaurant, I headed towards the centre of town. The eve of the festival was underway, and the final act was a female musician. She was a local professional musician, and her name was Asuka Aoya. I bought some beer at a nearby stall and listened to her singing. Even though I didn't understand the words, her smooth, gentle voice and fun rhythm made me feel happy.

August 30th 20:40 Fireworks

The finale of the eve of the festival was a fireworks display. Although it was short, the beautiful fireworks raised expectations for the next day.

Homestay

I got in Tomo's car and headed to his house. This time, I was staying at his house. He lives in an old house with 10 bedrooms with his wife and two children. The couple has been running Airbnb for many years, and their children are used to having someone come to stay with them. Hotels are nice, but staying here and interacting with someone like this is also fun. After chatting for a while, I took a shower and slept soundly.

On the morning of the fireworks, spend a relaxing time in a rustic setting

August 31st Morning

When I woke up after a long sleep, Tomo had already gone out. I took a leisurely walk, enjoying the countryside. When I returned, I picked just enough vegetables to eat from the garden and made breakfast sandwiches. After breakfast, I was comforted by watching the cute rabbits in the garden. After that, I enjoyed grape picking at a nearby orchard. I was fuller than I expected, so I took a short nap.

August 31st 15:30 Move to Omagari

We prepared to watch the fireworks, and headed to JR Omagari Station in a car driven by Tomo's wife. We met up with Tomo and walked to the viewing area. To enter the viewing area, we needed to purchase a seat ticket, but he had already arranged for it.

August 31st 16:50 Arrival at the viewing venue

It took longer than expected because I went shopping and to the restroom. Everywhere was crowded, and I had to line up to do anything. The viewing area was on the riverbank. It was huge! There were a lot of people! Apparently there were 100,000 spectators.

An annual fireworks competition to decide the best fireworks maker in Japan

August 31st 17:10 Daytime fireworks start

The fireworks display started while it was still light out. They were called daytime fireworks, and were made using colored smoke and light. Each company had their own unique display, which was quite interesting.

August 31st 18:40 Drone Show

After the afternoon fireworks, there was a 30-minute break. After that, a special drone show was held, using 1,500 drones.

August 31st 18:50 Night Fireworks section starts

Finally, the long-awaited night fireworks section began. Each company participating in the competition launched two 10-inch fireworks and performed a short fireworks show accompanied by music. The total points of these fireworks, plus the points of the daytime fireworks, were used to compete for the title of Japan's best. Impressive entertainment fireworks were also set off along the way, and the beauty and power of the "fireworks provided by the competition" at the climax was heart-pounding.

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August 31st 21:40 All fireworks finished

Still excited, we walked through the crowds to the parking lot. Tomo drove us back to the lodging, which took about 20 minutes.

The next day, we went sightseeing in Akita.

The day after the fireworks display, we enjoyed summer in Akita by touring nearby tourist spots such as the samurai residences of Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa, and Nyuto Onsen.

[Advertisement] For tickets to Omagari Fireworks, please contact Fireworks Travel.

We at Fireworks Travel can help you book tickets to the Omagari Fireworks to be held on August 31, 2024. We also offer private lodging. Please check out our website. We are also accepting inquiries and questions on our official LINE.

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