[Tokyo, Nov 4th] Tsuchiura Fireworks Competition

[brave sinew]

Time: 18:00 - 20:30
Location: Tsuchiura (~1h outside of Tokyo)

A great chance to see some of Japan’s best fireworks outside of the summer festivals, this is a competitive display admired across the country. Held on the Sakuragawa riverside in the Gakuen-ohashi area, there’s plenty of seating with a good view. The newest designs and creations are displayed by the best pyrotechnicians in Japan, it originally started as a memorial event for officers who died during the war. The event is pretty long, lasting around two and a half hours. Grab some food from the street stalls along the way and get your seat early!
(From https://tokyocheapo.com/events/tsuchiura-japan-fireworks-competition/)

Additional Links:
https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/page/page006275.html
https://en.japantravel.com/ibaraki/tsuchiura-all-japan-fireworks-competition/31868

Event map: https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/data/doc/1567681811_doc_26_0.pdf

@vague saffron @lyric pagoda @fathom chasm @wicked helm @dense brook @flat creek @static hawk @oak laurel

[static hawk]

🫡

Are you guys spending a day there or going there from Japan around 5-6?

[wicked helm]

I'm heading out around 4:30 iirc

The show starts at 6:30 iirc

If you're not getting seats though I would probably recommend spending the day or leaving a lot earlier since you'll probably want to get a good spot in the park

[static hawk]

alright sounds good ill head out around the same time

are you guys staying there over night or taking the trainback?

[oak laurel]

already have rooms booked so will be doing a day trip

it says the event is 6-8:30 on the website
And it looks like about 2hr ride by metro from tokyo

[fallow ocean]

I'm thinking about going to this! I like fireworks and buying stuff from lots of food stalls seems fun.

Can anyone reserve seats or does it require a Japanese phone number or something? what are you folks doing?

[flat creek]

I got you

[flat creek]

Lemme ask you this tho. What days will you be in jp?

[flat creek]

Planning to do the antique shopping in the 4th as well if anyone wanna join

https://tokyocheapo.com/events/hanazono-antique-market/20231105/

[fathom chasm]

Are most people gonna get tickets to watch from the reserved area? I was thinking of being close to the station so I can leave once it's over to try to avoid the huge crowd 😅 I'm assuming you can see it everywhere though

[brave sinew]

When I checked you had to enter a lottery system to get some tickets and you had to be able to receive them in the mail in Japan. Also I think the application time is over. So I didn't think it was worth the hassle to pay for a proxy just to lose the lottery. But if you can just buy tickets somewhere I might reconsider. I was planning to watch from somewhere to the west of the Aeon mall but that's pretty far away from the station. The buildings around the station seem pretty tall but if you walk down to the river you should have a pretty straight and unobstructed view.

[dense brook]

@agile stirrup

I think we're planning to head over around 1-2 ish and plan to be there by 4-5 ish depending on how the day goes.

[fallow ocean]

We're gonna be there til Nov 14, in Tokyo til..the 6th I think? Something like that ^^ but it sounds like folks need to find non reserved seating

[flat creek]

Same

[flat creek]

https://discord.gg/yBWyeeY5

[flat creek]

Join the link, lots of people are planning stuff for late October-early November

[flat creek]

@oak laurel

[oak laurel]

yes?

[wicked helm]

Where are you all planning on going to see the show without tickets? I saw the comprehensive park was recommended but it seems pretty far away so I was wondering if anyone had experience viewing it from there.

[oak laurel]

looks like there is a free viewing area near the reserved seat but you'd have to stake a spot starting 12:00

oh, nvm, I read that wrong. it's 12 the day before

it seemed like there will be a bunch of food stalls along that road as well for what that's worth

[wicked helm]

12 the day before is a little rough lol

That map is handy though,

[oak laurel]

probably not exactly it but it does seem far
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkBjz1BWBI

I think those binocular icons are other available viewing sites

[wicked helm]

That's really not that bad, I was expecting much worse

Ohh I didn't see those, thanks for pointing that out

[oak laurel]

if you want to take in the whole thing, it's not bad but the impact would be different from up close

[wicked helm]

That's true though the lottery is over so at this point I'm just happy to see it at all

The lake is quite nice too, makes it very scenic and nice

[oak laurel]

here is the map in case anyone else wanted to take a look
https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/data/doc/1567681811_doc_26_0.pdf

[wicked helm]

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it 🙂

[oak laurel]

time to look for a good place for dinner near by to go to afterwards

[wary sleet]

Thank you for the map !!

[flat creek]

What about all going back into tokyo since it'll be kinda late and everyone may be tired so that way it's not a hassle to go back to the telly? Just my opinion

[oak laurel]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

if people want to eat together than sure

don't know where peeps are staying

[flat creek]

I would imagine close to Tokyo

[flat creek]

True well I may just go back over to Tokyo and eat there. The commute will be easier

[oak laurel]

the only other thing was the train may be crowded after the fireworks so the thinking was eating and wait till it dies down

[flat creek]

Mm that's true also unless I beat them to the punch but other people may do that too.

I guess whatever happens happens

[oak laurel]

"Toilet paper is not available in a restroom, so please bring tissue paper with you"

[wary sleet]

https://youtu.be/ARpThqW1xGM?si=RorM6dlUudVUViB3

Last year situation at the train station

[oak laurel]

I did read that they may send people in batches to prevent congestion

"I went yesterday.
On the way back, I waited in line for about 50 minutes at Tsuchiura Station.
While I was waiting in line, I suddenly felt a stomach ache.
I've been to Tsuchiura Fireworks several times, but this is the first time I've seen a line this long at Tsuchiura Station on the way home."

[static hawk]

we can cut out early if yall dont care about the finale

[rugged crater]

Hey ✨ I'll be around Tokyo the same day, so I may join if it's okay

[flat creek]

I personally would like to stay for finale but if it means I can bounce with no problemos, I'll be down

[static hawk]

That’s true, I saw a video of it last year and the last one is pretty cool

The free showing is pretty far I wonder if we can go closer by a building or something

[brave sinew]

Just a heads up: you can reserve seats on the Tokiwa lines. It's twice as expensive as the local train but if you are on a rail pass that might not matter to you. I booked today and there were still plenty of seats left. My connections:
Tokiwa 43: Ueno 15:39 - Tsuchiura 16:23
Tokiwa 86: Tsuchiura 22:24 - Ueno 23:07

[lyric pagoda]

I may do this as well.

[sharp trench]

I was planning on going to Yokohama that day do you think its worth staying one more night in Tokyo for this event?

[fallow ocean]

is camping out hours ahead of time a requirement or is that only if you want a really good spot? can someone go to this casually or do you hafta go hardcore if you didn't reserve a spot lol

[brave sinew]

I'm pretty hopeful that you can get a good look even if you don't secure a spot hours earlier. The show is pretty long so I will probably get something from a food stall in the middle of the competition anyway.

[brave sinew]

It's a pretty well regarded display from what I can tell but also pretty crowded. Personally, I definitely wanted to see some fireworks and this is one of the few shows that doesn't happen in summer.

[sharp trench]

I will think about it then

[lyric pagoda]

Its tmr alright

[static hawk]

Yup, @flat creek what time are you heading to the flea market?

[oak laurel]

@sharp egret

[sharp egret]

I’ll hopefully be getting there 5:30-6ish?

Starts at 6:30, no?

[static hawk]

It starts at 530

[lyric pagoda]

On the way to Tokyo now 😅

[modest sun]

So haven’t posted here much but mind if I tag along the group for this? 😮

[lyric pagoda]

I think we will meet up and catch train tgt?

[modest sun]

Where will we meet up for the train? I thought everyone was just going to the sakuragawa riverbank

[brave sinew]

I will be in Tsuchiura around 4:30. My plan is to get to the western side of the river and watch from there. If anyone wants to meet around that time, let me know. Depending on the situation you can always join later as well of course.

[modest sun]

I’ll try to target around 4:30ish

I’ll be hanging in ikebukuro til then

[static hawk]

I’ll be in harajuku and then head over around 3-4

I’ll meet with narrow since he has a spot he wants to be around

[rugged crater]

Hey! I might arrive around 16:30 or 17 to Tsuchiura

[vast sable]

Is this before the doodle show ?

[brave sinew]

It overlaps. You might be able to make it back for the last act but I would recommend fully enjoying one or the other.

[rugged crater]

Anyone heading to Tsuchiura now?

[brave sinew]

I'm at Ueno station right now. I have a reserved seat and should arrive at 16:23.

[rugged crater]

I had to buy a 16:23 ticket from Tokyo station

So i guess ill he there at 17 30

[lyric pagoda]

I have the Ueno 4.30 to Tsuchiura 5.15

Just arrived at Tokyo, heading to Ueno now. 😭

[static hawk]

We all running late

[brave sinew]

@modest sun @static hawk Do you have a time estimate?

Sorry to be that guy but I might just go ahead on my own instead of waiting around for an hour. Sounds like @rugged crater and @lyric pagoda will be able to meet up pretty easily.

I will update you on the situation on the riverbank of course.

[modest sun]

Wait I messed up. Somehow thought tsuchiura was near northern Tokyo rather than southern Tokyo

And likely a 2 hour commute from where I’m at

[brave sinew]

It is?

[modest sun]

Oh wait wrong wording

Really underestimated length I guess?

[rugged crater]

No worries @brave sinew please don't wair

[static hawk]

Still on the train going to the hostel, droppping some stuff off and going toward that way

[modest sun]

Unless it’s shorter than what this shows?

[rugged crater]

I'll board the train in a bit

[static hawk]

Timing was off also. Didn’t think I’d spend that much time in Tokyo today

[oak laurel]

got delayed moving luggage, heading there as well

[modest sun]

Actually if I get to tsichiura station at 5:45 it’s not too late I think?

Spent way more time than I’d expect

[static hawk]

We still got 2-3 hours of the show

Probably half way there will be an intermission or something

[oak laurel]

30 min walk from the station to the main location walking. 15 min by bus

[brave sinew]

No, you are right, I was just confused because of your north south comment. I underestimated how long the travel inside Tokyo takes.

The show is over two hours long, so you should still be fine.

[modest sun]

Ya I guess the next issue is getting back to Tokyo afterwards

But I’ll worry about that… afterwards LOL

[brave sinew]

There is also the Tokiwa limited express that is all reserved seats. You could check if that one still has some space going back. It's more expensive but included in the JR rail pass.

[modest sun]

I wouldn’t mind taking that

Somehow I thought tsuchiura was 1 hour away and not nearly 2 hours

[brave sinew]

It's less than an hour from Ueno on the express. It's possible I mentioned that somewhere in this thread.

[modest sun]

Need to get to ueno first

Or rather nippori station?

[lyric pagoda]

Damn it, my local is actually behind schedule

Probably gonna miss the LE to Tsuchiura

[modest sun]

Made it to the JJ koban line

Which makes it straight to tsichiura

Only an hour left

Feel like I should’ve bought a pass of some sort?!

[oak laurel]

arrive 5:45?

[modest sun]

Something like that

[oak laurel]

what car?

I'm probably on the same one

@brave sinew did you already scope out a spot?

[modest sun]

Uhh idk

@oak laurel

Whatever this one is

On 14 minami senju stop right now

[oak laurel]

I think you are one car down from me then

[modest sun]

So unsure if I’m on the same bus

Oh possibly

I’m very confused and lost lol

[lyric pagoda]

I will be on this one.

😦

[brave sinew]

This is the riverbank right outside the station.

https://maps.google.com/?q=36.075201,140.203985&entry=gps

[modest sun]

I’m not even going to pretend to know where im going @lyric pagoda

[lyric pagoda]

As long as the final destination is the same haba😅

[modest sun]

We just stay on this train though… right?

[oak laurel]

yes. if the crowd dies down, I can try to find you

[lyric pagoda]

I shouldn't bother to take a shower and missed out the LE.

[modest sun]

If I knew where I was going I’d try to move down

[brave sinew]

Pretty busy already. Not sure if it's my mobile connection or if Tsuchiura's network isn't able to handle this type of event but I'm having trouble sending images.

[rugged crater]

Gonna stay there?

[modest sun]

Will you be going back to Tokyo afterwards

[lyric pagoda]

These crowded trains make me sweat fug ton.

[oak laurel]

too many people most likely. not enough bandwidth for such a crowd

[rugged crater]

Im 1 stop from Tsuchiura

[lyric pagoda]

Yeah, 22.24 train back to Ueno as I booked beforehand

[oak laurel]

that's pretty far from the launch site. were you planning on moving closer or stay there?

[lyric pagoda]

I doubt that we will stay until 10p!

[modest sun]

I have no clue how you book things for this o.o

[brave sinew]

No, I moved on already.

[lyric pagoda]

Quite simple tbh

There are instructions on utube as well

[modest sun]

I’ve only been here for a week and I’m flying back tomorrow so uh yeah

Mistakes were made

[lyric pagoda]

Dont worry about it too much.

[modest sun]

Okay it started to clear up a bit

[oak laurel]

learning experience

[modest sun]

Should I try and find you

Like my car has pretty much empty areas where people are standing

[oak laurel]

I can come find you

what are you wearing?

[lyric pagoda]

What train/when you guys will arrive?

[oak laurel]

joban, 5:45 arrival at the station

[modest sun]

I’m wearing a black tshirt

A grey backpack

Blue jeans

Glasses

[oak laurel]

okie

[modest sun]

It’s probably easier to describe the girls nearby

LOL

There’s a group of four girls

One is wearing bright red, another bright yellow, one wearing striped shirt and another wearing a black leather jacket

Those will be far more distinct than me

[wary sleet]

Just send selfie 🤣

[lyric pagoda]

🤣

[oak laurel]

@lyric pagoda what car are you on?

[lyric pagoda]

This one.

I missed the Limited Express at 16.30

[oak laurel]

what does the number say on the screen above the door?

I think you might be on a different train then us

[lyric pagoda]

Yeah, definitely

Letter and color show the train line

Number show the assigned number for that station

So we dont need to remember their names

[modest sun]

Are you at tennodai stop rn

If so, then yeah we’re on the same train

[lyric pagoda]

Nah, definitely not, arrived by 10mins after yours

Matsudo now.

[modest sun]

Oh okay. Diff line then

[lyric pagoda]

Still crowded and no seat 😥

At least there are aircons.

[rugged crater]

Just arrived to Tsuchiura

[oak laurel]

where did you move to?

[lyric pagoda]

Have u guys met up?

[oak laurel]

yea

[lyric pagoda]

Where do you guys gonna go?

[rugged crater]

Can someone send a location pls?

Im moving towards Sakuragawa park

[static hawk]

Running late missed my train out of confusion

[brave sinew]

I'm currently here, still moving a bit further.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7fkMkEnvgT1mhDcS9

[oak laurel]

are you still trying to move towards your original planned area?

[lyric pagoda]

Firework yet?

[brave sinew]

I will stay here.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jbSEg2QU4bUP98Zb7

[brave sinew]

Yes

[lyric pagoda]

😔

[static hawk]

Damn

[brave sinew]

Still got >2 hours.

[static hawk]

Yeah

[rugged crater]

Ill be there in 20 or so

[oak laurel]

@lyric pagoda do you want us to wait for you?

we just arrived

[lyric pagoda]

That would be nice, you guys can kill time going to toilet

[brave sinew]

Not sure if I would recommend coming to my location. The whole city is crowded and it took me an hour to get here. Honestly, if you find a decent place, I would just stay there.

[static hawk]

I get there at 7

So I’ll go whatever I can see

[oak laurel]

eta?

[lyric pagoda]

Arrived at 58 if no delay

[rugged crater]

People is even watching next to the familymart

[oak laurel]

we followed the crowd towards the right exit. waiting outside

[lyric pagoda]

Soon TM

[oak laurel]

we're at the bottom of the staira

[lyric pagoda]

Outside?

[modest sun]

Yes

[lyric pagoda]

?

[modest sun]

By the soba and kibiyasbi store

[oak laurel]

yeah

close yet?

[oak laurel]

take the right exit at the intersection inside

[lyric pagoda]

Head there now

I think i saw u guys

[modest sun]

Cross the street

[rugged crater]

Found a nice parking spot with good vieww

Found a nice parking spot with good vieww

[static hawk]

Just got off the train

Anybody close to meet up

[wary sleet]

Have a safe trip back to Tokyo guys

[lyric pagoda]

Man, just miss my local train by seconds

[brave sinew]

Made it back to my hotel.

[oak laurel]

should of ran with me :p