花火大会
There are fireworks festivals all over Japan during summer. Some offer tickets for premium seats, but most have huge open spaces for people to bring leisure mats and picnic blankets and make a whole day of it. For free.
Turns out we live close by the event space for a large annual fireworks festival, the Adachi fireworks. 550,000 people came to watch this fireworks show last year. We're lucky to live so close!
It took me a while to be able to associate fireworks with summer. In Norway, fireworks is usually a winter thing. I guess because the sun sets very late/never in Norway during summer... whereas in Japan, the sun sets at around 7PM!
Christian and I went out at around 2PM and found ourselves a spot. We put down our leisure mat, and went back home to relax and get ready. Such luxury!
One of my favourite things about fireworks festivals in Japan is that they're great opportunities to wear yukata, a light summer kimono. It makes the event feel even more special when you get to dress up for it.
Our space! Had this been a concert hall, we would have had fifth row seats. Not bad!
Lots more people when we went back at around 5PM!
Since we had time to get ready and didn't have to worry about finding a space to sit, I wanted to put on my proper yukata and tie my own obi this year.
I own two yukata, one is a "cheat" one where I don't have to worry about tying sashes to adjust it to the right height. The folds around the waist are fake, so I just tie the yukata together around my waist, and it's done. The obi that goes with it is also a cheat version, it has velcro, and the bow in the back is a separate piece entirely.
I say "cheat version", but fact is that this is a popular choice for a lot of Japanese girls too. Putting on a yukata the proper way can be a hassle, it requires practice and patience. It's also easier if you get help from someone. The "cheat" one I got is from a series called "一人で着られる" (yukata you can put on by yourself). It's good to have when I'm in a rush! It's just as beautiful as my "proper" one, and if I tie an actual obi around it, you probably can't tell the yukata itself has some cheats to it. Here's an example of a "cheat" one.
This is what the "proper" one looks like before you start with the folding, adjusting, and tying.
Done! 8D
I practiced tying the obi the night before, it turned out to be a lot easier than expected. This knot takes me about 15 minutes now. The hard part is putting on the yukata itself. I struggled. It took me about an hour.
I bought this yukata in 2007 (?? I think!), but I've never worn it before! Partly because I have never been able to tie the obi before, and I have never had time to figure out the proper way to put it on. Time is key.
The knot held up pretty well! Obi got a little scrunched up from me sitting down on the ground for 3+ hours, that's ok!
Christian has a yukata too! The men's yukata is much easier to deal with! He's ready in like 15 minutes tops, lol. No folding or endless adjusting. No cheat version needed. The obi is half the size, and the knot is super simple (I tied this one too...). Men. Typical.
I GET EXCITED ABOUT YUKATA!
We grabbed delicious bento from a mom and pop shop nearby on our way back to the fireworks event space. One of the old ladies working the kitchen came out and was all "You look great! And you've put it on correctly! A lot of people mess up the collar their first time! Did a friend help you put this on today?". She got so excited when I told her I'd put it on by myself and that it was my first time trying. We were both geeking out hahaha. She was all "Turn around!!! I'll help you!" and she adjusted the back a little, told me it looked beautiful, and sent me on my way 8D The food was so delicious, I'll definitely go back there.
THE FIREWORKS THOUGH. The show lasted an hour. An hour of non-stop fireworks action, you guys. It was amazing. It was also set to music! Including music by AKB48, sekai no owari, oh and of course, Frozen's Let It Go, and the theme song from Totoro. CHILLS!
It's impossible to capture fireworks on film. I tried, though. My pictures don't do the show justice at all.
We packed our stuff, and went for an evening stroll after the fireworks were done. We played Pokémon GO for a while. A lot of people had the same idea.
Turns out we live close by the event space for a large annual fireworks festival, the Adachi fireworks. 550,000 people came to watch this fireworks show last year. We're lucky to live so close!
It took me a while to be able to associate fireworks with summer. In Norway, fireworks is usually a winter thing. I guess because the sun sets very late/never in Norway during summer... whereas in Japan, the sun sets at around 7PM!
Christian and I went out at around 2PM and found ourselves a spot. We put down our leisure mat, and went back home to relax and get ready. Such luxury!
One of my favourite things about fireworks festivals in Japan is that they're great opportunities to wear yukata, a light summer kimono. It makes the event feel even more special when you get to dress up for it.
Our space! Had this been a concert hall, we would have had fifth row seats. Not bad!
Lots more people when we went back at around 5PM!
Since we had time to get ready and didn't have to worry about finding a space to sit, I wanted to put on my proper yukata and tie my own obi this year.
I own two yukata, one is a "cheat" one where I don't have to worry about tying sashes to adjust it to the right height. The folds around the waist are fake, so I just tie the yukata together around my waist, and it's done. The obi that goes with it is also a cheat version, it has velcro, and the bow in the back is a separate piece entirely.
I say "cheat version", but fact is that this is a popular choice for a lot of Japanese girls too. Putting on a yukata the proper way can be a hassle, it requires practice and patience. It's also easier if you get help from someone. The "cheat" one I got is from a series called "一人で着られる" (yukata you can put on by yourself). It's good to have when I'm in a rush! It's just as beautiful as my "proper" one, and if I tie an actual obi around it, you probably can't tell the yukata itself has some cheats to it. Here's an example of a "cheat" one.
This is what the "proper" one looks like before you start with the folding, adjusting, and tying.
Done! 8D
I practiced tying the obi the night before, it turned out to be a lot easier than expected. This knot takes me about 15 minutes now. The hard part is putting on the yukata itself. I struggled. It took me about an hour.
I bought this yukata in 2007 (?? I think!), but I've never worn it before! Partly because I have never been able to tie the obi before, and I have never had time to figure out the proper way to put it on. Time is key.
The knot held up pretty well! Obi got a little scrunched up from me sitting down on the ground for 3+ hours, that's ok!
Christian has a yukata too! The men's yukata is much easier to deal with! He's ready in like 15 minutes tops, lol. No folding or endless adjusting. No cheat version needed. The obi is half the size, and the knot is super simple (I tied this one too...). Men. Typical.
I GET EXCITED ABOUT YUKATA!
We grabbed delicious bento from a mom and pop shop nearby on our way back to the fireworks event space. One of the old ladies working the kitchen came out and was all "You look great! And you've put it on correctly! A lot of people mess up the collar their first time! Did a friend help you put this on today?". She got so excited when I told her I'd put it on by myself and that it was my first time trying. We were both geeking out hahaha. She was all "Turn around!!! I'll help you!" and she adjusted the back a little, told me it looked beautiful, and sent me on my way 8D The food was so delicious, I'll definitely go back there.
THE FIREWORKS THOUGH. The show lasted an hour. An hour of non-stop fireworks action, you guys. It was amazing. It was also set to music! Including music by AKB48, sekai no owari, oh and of course, Frozen's Let It Go, and the theme song from Totoro. CHILLS!
It's impossible to capture fireworks on film. I tried, though. My pictures don't do the show justice at all.
We packed our stuff, and went for an evening stroll after the fireworks were done. We played Pokémon GO for a while. A lot of people had the same idea.