The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival in Niigata Prefecture is one of the three largest fireworks festivals in Japan. The highlight of the festival are the panoramically-large, sprawling fireworks, such as the "Shosan Shakudama", which light up the summer night sky, and "The Phoenix", a fireworks display which has a launch width of approximately 2 km.
In addition to being visually stunning, the origins of the festival are quite profound. The Fireworks Festival originated as the Nagaoka Reconstruction Festival, which was held to commemorate those who died in the Nagaoka air raid of 1 August 1945 and to pray for the city's recovery. First held on August 2 and 3, 1946, the festival has been occuring on the same dates annually ever since, with the continued prayer for consolation, reconstruction, and peace.
Google Maps:
Access: 30 min walk from JR Nagaoka Station on the JR Shinetsu Main Line.
(Shinano River bed downstream of Chosei Bridge, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture)
For more information, please visit the official website:
https://nagaokamatsuri.com/en/
For information regarding special transit passes servicing the area, click here:
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/pass/eastpass_t.html
Credit : Nagaoka Fireworks Foundation
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