Ota Ward's Festival Of Fireworks

"Hoshi hitotsu
Nokoshite ochiru
Hanabi kana"

Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828)
Japanese painter

星ひとつ 残して落ちる 花火かな (酒井 抱一)

Ōta Ward, the biggest of the 23 special wards in Tokyo, made a peace city declaration (平和都市宣言) on August 15, 1984, to wish for the eternal properity of mankind and lasting peace in the world. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of this declaration, the city recently held a summer event called the "Festival of Fireworks" (花火の祭典) along the Tamagawa River.

The fund used for the launching of the fireworks came from the sponsorships and donations from the local residents. This event was cancelled last year due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and this year, 2.5 years after the disaster, the prayers for the speedy recovery and reconstruction of the affected area will still remain in the hearts of everyone. 

As the place I am staying is just a stone's throw away from the venue, I went to see this fireworks festival, after work. This is in fact the first fireworks festival I went to this year. Although it was not as big or famous as the other fireworks festival in Sumida River and Tokyo Bay, it was not a bad one actually.

This fireworks was just a small scale one, and you can see local residents, heading to the venue on foot and bicycle, filling the area along the river just before the event started. There were no scramble for spots, and it was really an enjoyable outing for everyone on a Thursday evening. Below are several shots I got from the fireworks festival.

Now that almost all the fireworks festival in Japan had ended, it also marks the end of summer and we are now heading into autumn.