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Monday, September 17, 2007
～花火～

One of the things that I experienced in Japan which I can never experience in Singapore is fireworks. Yes, 花火! 花火が大好きです！Firstly, it is quite rare in Singapore to have fireworks. Like how many times do we have fireworks display per year? 3 times during National Day? And each lasting like 10mins or less? And of coz, there's no way of playing fireworks in Singapore. シンガポールで花火は珍しいだから、皆花火はとても好きだ。それに、大きいな花火を自分ですることは禁止のよ。So, obviously I could not miss out on the chance to go for a Fireworks Festival 花火大会 in Japan!

花火大会 happens in Japan every summer and each prefecture or sometimes smaller 区may have their own 花火大会。I went for the one in Fukuoka and it was an awesome experience. Following the Japanese tradition, almost all of us wore yukata and went for the 花火大会。I left mine in Singapore, so I had to borrow one when I was there. Sweet トモミ managed to borrow her friend's yukata to lend me.
So after wearing the yukata and walking with much difficulty, we finally managed to get to Ohori Koen where the 花火大会was going to be held. The place was packed with people! There were stalls selling food and drinks and games.


Marisa and me

Me, Ashleigh, sweet トモミ!

Me, Mirgim and Ashleigh

Me and Soonghe

Me, Clarence and Pamela!

The 5 girls, Marisa, Ashleigh, me, Gen and Pamela.

So obviously, the main event of the night was the 花火。Compared to Singapore's 花火, this is like super large scale. 10mins? No, 15mins? No, 20mins? No. It is a full hour and a half! Can you believe it? I mean...the tons of money that is spent, but also how lucky the Japanese are! In Singapore, we like go 2 hours beforehand to get a good spot and have to wait so bloody long just to catch a 10mins fireworks display?! 1 1/2hours to enjoy the 花火...bliss!

花火

花火

花火

花火

Video of 花火

It was a great night! And of course, what better way to experience 花火 than to play it yourself? We played 花火 on the last day before the girls went for homestay. We bought it at a department store near our dormitory and went with some dorm friends to a sea nearby (ok, not so near. We had to walk like half an hour), to play the 花火。At the departmental store, we didn't know which ones to buy. We didn't want those small fireworks (sparklers), but wanted those big ones that we couldn't play in Singapore. So we pored over the many 花火that was sold and picked out those that looked and seemed more grand. Haha...

Our loot.
Unfortunately, it was too dark at the place, so we couldn't get much photos and videos. The best 花火 that we played was the last 3 where it flew up 30m into the sky and bang! There was really fireworks. We were so awed and delighted! But, unfortunately, no video nor picture for that grandest fireworks.

Video of 花火(Most of the rest of the 花火 that we bought were these kind).


~ { 1:05 AM }
reflections @ 1:05 AM