Apparently, Shirahama has two big fireworks shows in the summer. One July 30 and another August 10 (why they are only about 11 days apart, I don't know). Anyway, some labmates and I walked down to the beach on the 30th to go see the fireworks this week. I was kinda worried as we walked down because I was really hungry and didn't know if I would have time to run to the super market to grab something to eat. I need not have worried. This was a fireworks festival which means that there were food vendors lining the walkways to the beach. So I got some very good yakisoba and Fukami-sensei's wife gave me a can of ume-shu (basically plum wine, the best alcohol ever) and I was set. There were also some games for kids (I saw the goldfish game again) and it was very busy by the beach. However the most crowded part was not on the beach itself, but on the non-sandy part. Although we didn't have a blanket or anything, we just went on down to the beach and reconciled ourselves to being sandy.
I'm glad we did, because the view from the beach was AMAZING! I don't think I've ever been closer to fireworks before. Although, I don't feel that I can call what I saw fireworks. The show was soo much better than anything I've seen in the US that it seems silly to call them the same thing. So from now on, the US has fireworks, Japan has hanabi.
The hanabi show just blew my mind. They played with size, color, distance, angle, direction, timing all kinds of things. And I saw several types that I have never seen in the US (and I have gone to the big Chicago fireworks before so I'm not basing this all on small town fireworks - although Shirahama is a small town). It was a solid 30 minutes of really awesome explosions. There were at least 4 "grand finales" in the show, not including the last one which lit up the whole sky. Plus it was over the water, which made it really nice too. Afterwards, I was told that this show was the short one, the one on the 10th is supposed to be longer! I don't know how they can improve on what I saw, but I'm looking forward to seeing the show on the 10th. Actually, that weekend, I am going to Nara, but I've made sure that I will be back by 5:30 so that I can go drop off my stuff, relax for an hour and then head back down to the beach for the show.
Tonight there is some dance festival from 7-9 on the road by the beach. I'm unsure what exactly this is, but I'm going to go check it out too.
Weekend plans - well, this weekend, I'm going to stick close to Shirahama because I have traveled far the last two weekends and will be traveling next weekend. But I think I will take the 2 hour trip to Nachi tomorrow morning (unfortunately, I can't really get a train earlier than 10:30, but oh well). The highest waterfall in Japan is there and has long been considered a deity. So one of the three big shrines of the area (Kumano sanzan) is there. I'll spend a couple of hours walking around there seeing the waterfall, shrine, and remnants of an ancient pilgrimage road there (the Kumano region is generally thought of as a holy region). Then on Sunday, I'm going to sleep in, and go to the really famous open air bath. I'm really looking forward to more onsen! Then I need to come back and work in the afternoon, but I can mostly take it easy.
Finally, it looks like my plans for my travel week are coming together. It looks like I will spend a few days in Tokyo (though I am hoping to make a day trip to Nikko) with someone, then head out by myself to Hiroshima to spend 2 days (and visit the island near by, Miyajima), then head over to Kanazawa where I will be by myself for one day then meet up with someone else for the second day, and then the 5-6 hour train ride back to Narita airport for the long flight back. It's kind of a crazy plan because I will be traveling for 5-6 hours by train, then wait at the airport for 2 1/2 hours, then board a 12 hour flight back to Chicago. But this is the best way to make use of my time (and maximize traveling with others). I know that I will be wreaked when I get to Chicago, but I probably would be anyway. And I'm staying with my family (I'm so glad that I scheduled in some collapse time at home where my family can look out after me). I'm planning on just hanging out with my family for the weekend and on labor day, then seeing friends on the 2nd and 3rd.
Okay, this post has wandered far off the original intent, so let's leave it here for now. Talk to you all later!
1 comment:
I love fireworks shows - it sounds like Hana-bi is something I should see, if I ever make it to Japan. Once, I went to a fireworks show in a small town near Springfield (MO) where a friend of ours worked as a newspaper reporter. As he was taking photos for the paper, we got to sit really close, closer than the general public. It was awesome being that close. We could see them lighting the fuses, and we could see when one did not go as high as planned. I even got hit by some debris (nothing big or hot, just small pieces).
I am glad that you sound like you are having a wonderful time!
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