The Nagaoka Matsuri fireworks in Nagaoka, Niigita Prefecture, is one of Japan’s three major fireworks festivals running for two days Aug 2 and 3 annually. In total, about 20,000 fireworks will be set off over the 2 day Matsuri show. This fireworks is famous for the Sanjakudama which is one of the biggest single firework in the world. A shell of sanjakudama is about 90cm (36 inch) in diameter and weighs about 300 kilograms (670 pounds).
It rises to the height of 600 meters with a spread of 650 meters wide across the sky with a total of four launched, two per day.
The Nagaoka Matsuri fireworks show along the banks of the Shinanogawa river, features the Phoenix pyrotechnics, which celebrates its 10th anniversary since it was introduced to pray for the regions’s reconstruction. The Phoenix firework began in 2005, a year after the devastating Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake, which killed 68 people. The Phoenix fireworks are in the form of the mythical bird which symbolizes rebirth, because it is said to rise from the ashes of destruction.
The 10th anniversary of the Phoenix fireworks are being celebrated by launching around 2,000 fireworks, double what is normally seen during the Matsuri. The Phoenix was created through donations received from around Japan. It is launched every year to express appreciation for the support given as well as to pray for rebuilding after the earthquake.
Fireworks were seen in Nagaoka as early as 1879, and came to be a fireworks festival style in 1906. The Nagaoka Matsuri fireworks festival started one year after the end of WWII to commemorate the victims of the war, and to say thanks to the people who contributed to the reconstruction of the city as well as to pray for the everlasting peace throughout the world.
Nagaoka Matsuri Fireworks – The Phoenix
No stranger to disaster, the city of Nagaoka was destroyed twice in the past – first in the Boshin War of 1868-1869 which was a civil war between a new government and Shogun samurais. The second was by heavy Allied bombing in 1945 during WWII. Each time, the city rebuilt from the devastation wrought on it.
To get to the Nagaoka Matsuri fireworks in Nagaoka, Niigita from Tokyo, you can catch the Joetsu Shinkansen super express line at Tokyo station to Nagaoka station which takes 90 minutes. It is a leisurely 20 minute walk from the station to the viewing area by the riverside of the Sinano river.
The show ends around 21:30 so it is possible to catch the last train for Tokyo at 21:52 at Nagaoka station, or leave a few minutes earlier to make sure you catch it. Accommodation in the city during the festival is hard to come by as it is booked months in advance. Some smaller cities close by like Sanjo city, Niigata city, Tsubame city or Kashiwazaki city might have more rooms available if you want to stay for the two days.
The official website of the Nagaoka Matsuri is in Japanese.
