Sunday, July 6, 2008

Bentenjima Fireworks Festival: July 5, 2008

Let's see if this works. I went to the Bentenjima Hanabi Matsuri this weekend and tried to use my Fuji FinePix camera to take some video.



Every so often during the show, the announcer would begin a countdown, we would hear a thump and then a small star would start rising into the night sky, only to explode with a massive burst of sparks and after a delay a blast and concussion we could feel from all the way across the water. It felt like a gentle push against the chest and knees:



The show went on for about an hour. I believe I was told there were 3000 shells used, down from 10000 a few years ago when Bentenjima's community finances were better. But this could be the result of miscommunication.

People tell me the Bentenjima fireworks are some of the best in Shizuoka, but others insist Fukuroi's are supreme. Other than these, I've only seen Toyohashi's. And those were good enough for me, but they really can't compete with Bentenjima's air bursts reflected in the dancing waters of Lake Hamana, with boats floating beneath.

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