7 Must-see Winter Fireworks in Japan

Seeing beautiful fireworks displays after a summer festival is how you might imagine catching fireworks in Japan, but did you know there are plenty of fireworks to see during winter? Much like stargazing in winter, you’ll have better fireworks visibility in the night sky as there is less water vapor in colder weather. Fireworks can be found all across Japan during the cold season, so be on the lookout wherever you might be traveling to!

For five minutes at 7:00 p.m. every Saturday in December, you can catch a dazzling fireworks display between Odaiba and Rainbow Bridge. There is an additional firework show that is held on Tuesday, December 24th as well. For the fireworks display on the 21st, a special collaboration will be conducted with the anime “Digimon Adventure” to celebrate the anime’s 25th anniversary. There are numerous locations where you can see the fireworks, and one recommended location is the front of Decks Shopping Center. That said, you should be able to get a view from anywhere along the Odaiba Marine Park. 

In conjunction with the Hakodate Illumination which takes place from December to February, a fireworks show is put on toward the latter half of the event period. The fireworks shows will likely be held every Saturday during February. You can enjoy the illumination before the fireworks with the Motomachi district decorated with over 160,000 LED light bulbs. This past winter’s fireworks were launched from Midori-no-Shima, so if you’re in the Motomachi area, you should be able to see the fireworks.

Lake Kawaguchi is already a popular tourist destination, but if you’re coming from late January to February, you’ll have the chance to see beautiful fireworks alongside Mount Fuji. It’s planned to be held from January 25 to February 23, 2025 on the weekends. It can be pretty cold around the lake area during this time of year, so bundle up if you plan to see the fireworks.

The Atami Marine Fireworks Festival is a great item to add to your bucket list for any time of the year that you’re coming to Japan. There are at least ten shows held throughout the year, so you can experience the display in all four seasons. The festival has taken place for over 70 years to celebrate Atami’s reconstruction efforts after a typhoon in 1949 and a fire in 1950. As Atami is well-known for its onsen (hot springs), you can enjoy a weekend of soaking in the hot springs while being able to see the fireworks if you’re staying somewhere that faces Atami Bay. The fireworks show's finale is sure to impress as it mimics Niagara Falls.

The ISOGAI Theatrical Fireworks certainly take things to another level with a one-of-a-kind fireworks show accompanied by music that tells a Christmas story. The fireworks show is produced by Isogai Fireworks, a long-established fireworks company based in Aichi that has been a top-ranking winner at Omagiri Hanabi, a national fireworks competition. You can see the fireworks if you’re near Nagoya Port, but it is recommended that you purchase seating tickets in advance to enjoy the show to its fullest. 

Chichibu Night Festival is an event you’ll want to attend if you want to catch beautiful fireworks and enjoy a matsuri (Japanese cultural festival) simultaneously. Held annually on December 2nd and 3rd, the Chichibu Night Festival is the grand festival of the Chichibu Shrine. This festival is considered to be among the top three of Japan’s hikiyama (float)  festivals, along with Gion Matsuri and Takayama Matsuri. Six floats are displayed and paraded around during the festival, and the night fireworks show lasts almost two hours! So grab a warm cup of amazake (sweet fermented rice drink) and drop by Chichibu for a night of beautiful fireworks and dazzling floats. 

During Saturday evening, you’ll be able to catch a short but spectacular fireworks display in Yokohama. The Yokohama Sparkling Twilight is a great evening activity to plan into your schedule if you’re in town on Saturday night. The fireworks are shot from different piers on different days. The fireworks are free to watch, but you can also take a paid cruise through the bay to catch a boat view of the fireworks.