2608 Otsuka, Ichikawamisato-cho, Nishiyatsushiro-gun 409-3611 Yamanashi Prefecture

Ichikawamisato-cho, Nishiyatsushiro-gun Yamanashi Prefecture

This fireworks display is held in Ichikawa Misato, Yamanashi Prefecture, every year on August 7th, the town's "Fireworks Day." The event has a considerable history: originally the fireworks were set off for a ceremony at Shinmei Shrine, and during the Edo period this was famous as one of the Three Great Fireworks Festivals of Japan. Even today it is among the largest in the prefecture, with roughly 20,000 fireworks being set off each year. The highlight is the launching of a No. 20 Ball firework - not that common in Japan - which climbs through the sky to an altitude of roughly 500 meters before bursting to form an enormous flower roughly 500 meters in diameter. Also popular is the elaborate storyline of the festival's program, in which a sumptuous contest between music and fireworks captivates the many spectators.

640 Kamogaritsumugi, Ichikawamisato-cho, Nishiyatsushiro-gun 409-3243 Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamaho, Ichikawamisato-cho, Nishiyatsushiro-gun 409-3602 Yamanashi Prefecture