Legendary

I usually don't go to fireworks shows on weekdays but there was one held at a beach not too far from where I live, so I went to see the first one for 2024. 

I got off at the station, headed for the supermarket to load up on munchies and some sparkling water, then made my way to the beach. To get to this beach, people have to go through tunnels that run under the main road. There are a few tunnels people can use, but during the fireworks event, the organizers close off all of the tunnel entrances except for the one at the far end. 

This is an event that attracts over 100,000 people every year. It was still light out when I got to the beach, so there were quite a few spaces free to put down my little mat. I didn't want to be too close to the water just in case the tide came in. All of the free space was taken up by the time it got dark. 

The event started with a speech by the organizers and mayor. They were saying how it was a miracle that they could hold the event because the weather forecast was 70% rain and there's a typhoon headed our way.

After the first impressive display, the organizers announce all the sponsors of the show. Then they go on shoot up more fireworks while playing music in the background. 

Man, I was stoked when I heard Bon Jovi's new song, Legendary, being played along with the fireworks. Woo hoo!! That totally made my evening! 

(I had to lower the video quality when I converted the vid to a

supported format in order to upload it to this post   . . . sniff)

As much as I despise crowds, fireworks are much better seen up close than in a distance. This show was really awesome and the finale is always fantastic! I'm glad I braved the crowds to go see the show. 

However, I can't say the same when I headed back to the station after the show ended. We're talking 100,000 people, with way more than half making their way back to the train station.

All of the tunnels were back open for people to head back, but I made the mistake of going out the wrong tunnel. I ended up taking the long way around. While I was at it, I should've taken the even longer route and went to the seldomly used back gates at the station. I didn't remember having such a hard time getting into the station last year when I went to see the fireworks. It felt like there were more people this year than last year. It took forever just to get through the main gates. 

I got home much later than I expected to. Needless to say, I was barely functioning at work the next day, although I did make good progress on the project I was working on. 

Fireworks are a summer staple in Japan. Are there any summer events starting in your neck of the woods?