Bucket List: Hanabi Matsuri

Japan, Nagaoka

The Hanabi Matsuri in Nagaoka is arguably one the best in Japan, a country renowned for its many Hanabi Matsuri held annually all over the country in the summer months of July and August.

I had the rare opportunity to fulfil a personal Travel Bucket List item when I attended both days of the Nagaoka Hanabi Matsuri in August 2023.

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Attending the Nagaoka Hanabi Matsuri (Fireworks Festival) has always been a travel bucket list item for me. This year, I finally managed to check this item on my list. I attended the event on both days, on the 2nd and 3rd of August 2023.

With an estimated 20,000 rounds of fireworks launched into the summer night sky of Nagaoka, this is arguably one of the best fireworks display not just in Japan but probably in the world. Held along the Shinano River, this is truly the mother of all Fireworks Display for me.

Here, I am sharing a couple of photos and a short 12-seconds video of part of the fireworks display. I have a lot of other clips of the fireworks, including its finale. But those will take time for me to process before I can share them in this blog.

Nagaoka Hanabi Matsuri on 3rd August 2023, Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (2023)

A short 12-seconds clip of the Nagaoka Hanabi Matsuri on 2nd August 2023, Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (2023)

A selfie of a rather dishevelled-looking me after waiting for hours in Japan's humid summer for the start of the Hanabu Matsuri on 2nd August 2023,  Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (2023)