If this is your first time spending August in Tokyo, then welcome. Welcome to the hottest, most humid, stickiest, insufferable month of the year. And what better way to get your mind of this thermal atrocity than with thousands upon thousands of fireworks illuminating the night sky for you to ooh and ah at?
This Saturday (Aug 1) will host 5 separate firework festivals (more if you count festival spillage into early next week). To the east of Tokyo is the Edogawa Fireworks celebrating its 40th year, to the north is the Itabashi Fireworks and to the west are the Hachioji Fireworks, the Ome City Nohryo Fireworks, and the Akishima Citizen Whale Fireworks festivals. All of the events start between 7:00 and 7:30pm, but the crowds are usually, well, crowded…so get there early to stake a claim for some seating.
For a bit of peace and quiet, Kyu Yasuda Teien (a sweet garden in the Ryogoku area close to the Sumida River) is having a “Chill Out Evening” that include lit-up gardens, tea ceremony performances and traditional koto playing.
If you don’t want the weekend fun to stop, join the Tokyo Cheapo team on Mon. Aug 3 at our Downtown Drinks event. Meet us on the rooftop of Seibu Ikebukuro department store between 7:00-10:00pm for drinks, nibbles and mingles.
And not exclusive to this weekend, here are a few more events that are running for the summer:
- TV Asahi Roppongi Hills Summer Station event featuring 66 Doraemon statues (on until Aug. 23)
- Art Aquarium 2015 (on until Sep 23)
- Manga*Anime*Games from Japan Exhibition (on until Aug. 31)
- The Art of Gundam (on until Sep. 27)
