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While there are a host of fireworks festivals still happening in Tokyo proper this year, you should also check out these three events in nearby Saitama, especially if you’re looking for a quintessential Japanese summer experience but minus the crowd.
Kumagaya Fireworks Festival
The largest of the fireworks festivals happening in Saitama this August, the Kumagaya Fireworks Festival will be held on the banks of the Arakawa river near Kumagaya Station on Saturday August 8 at 7pm. Roughly an hour and ten minutes from Shinjuku Station, the spacious rugby fields by the river will be open from 4pm for free public viewing. During the two-hour-long programme, expect to see 10,000 fireworks launched from the opposite side of the river, including multiple varieties of quintessential summer starmines. Paid seats with uninterrupted views are currently on sale via Ticket Pia.
Saitama City Fireworks at Omagi Park
The second venue, located just seven minutes on foot from the nearby Higashi-Urawa Station (and under 50 minutes by train from Shinjuku Station), Omagi Park will host a fireworks display on Saturday August 8 at 7.30pm. Details of this year's event are yet to be announced. However, to give you an idea of what to expect, last year saw over 2,500 shells of fireworks being launched over fifty minutes.
Saitama City Fireworks at Iwatsuki Culture Park
Expect gigantic starmines and other large fireworks at Iwatsuki Culture Park, set to be held on Saturday August 22 at 7.30pm. As this is the most remote out of the three festival sites on this list, your journey will take roughly an hour and fifteen minutes from Shinjuku Station by train and bus. But it’s worth the trek, as you’ll be gazing at a beautiful display of 2,500 fireworks while being surrounded by serene nature.
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