Hanabi - Fireworks

Every year the city puts on large amounts of fireworks during the month of August. One friend described the month of August in Japan as a time to catch up on sleep, relax and enjoy your family before the last push through the end of the year. Everything seems a bit slower during the month of August, or maybe it is just so hot that people physically cannot move very fast. There are loads of festivals going on in August and firework shows. We have been blessed to be able to view the Tokyo Bay fireworks from our apartment. They are partially blocked from some office buildings across the way, but some of them are so big we get a pretty good show...much better than going out with the thousands of people to get a view from the ground. This year I went running early on the day of the fireworks. At 6AM people were already sitting on their blue tarps waiting for the fireworks that would take place 13 hours later. Seriously, these people wait in line for ANYTHING! And it was hot outside, at least 95 degrees with a heat index over 100. I cannot think of one thing I would wait for in that kind of weather. We had a small party for the firework show this year, a mix of people including Japanese, American and British. I love our international life here and the fabulous people we have been able to meet. Enjoy the pictures. God has blessed us with a great view. It makes the compact city not seem so claustrophobic.