The 61st Yunokawa Hot Spring Fireworks Festival

Summary

On August 22, fireworks give thanks to the hot springs of Yunokawa in Hakodate, Hokkaido — a noryo festival tied to a spring with some 360 years of history, held just after the Obon period. About 3,300 shells rise over an hour from 7:40 pm from the lower Matsunokura River near its mouth, and the bursts color the sea, the river and the hot-spring streets all at once. Around 50,000 attend each year.

Overview

The Yunokawa Onsen Fireworks take place on August 22 in Hakodate City as a summer-cooling festival honoring the hot springs' long history of about 360 years, timed to just after the old Obon (August Bon). From the lower reaches of the Matsunokura River where it meets the sea, 3,300 shells launch over roughly an hour from 7:40 to 8:40 pm, drawing about 50,000 viewers. Because the shells rise at the river mouth, one sweep of the eye takes in the sea, the river and the hot-spring district all colored at once. The viewing area is within walking distance of the hot-spring streets. From JR Hakodate Station, the city tram runs 30 minutes to Yunokawa-Onsen, then a 10-minute walk — and with no parking near the venue, public transport is the assumption.

Details

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