The Lobster Dance

On 6 August, I headed down to Mikawa for the Kawakita Matsuri (川北まつり) and Hokkoku Shinbun Fireworks (北國大花火川北大会), the biggest fireworks display in Ishikawa. The festival is held every year in Tedorigawa (手取川), out in the middle of nowhere south of the city, on the first Saturday in August. Shuttle buses and flat-rate taxis run from Mikawa Station (美川駅) to the festival site.

It wouldn’t be a festival in Ishikawa if there weren’t something to light on fire, though.

As I’ve noted before, Japan’s liquor laws restrict the production of microbrews, and festivals are usually rife with Asahi. Luckily for my friends, the combination of my beer snobbery and my Japanese skills has provided me a Spidey-sense-like ability to hunt down delicious beer. My prey of the day was Hakusan WakuWaku Beer’s Koshihikari. The cup you see below was at least 500 mL and only cost me 500 yen–a great deal, considering Asahi was selling ~300 mL of theirs for the same price. The koshihikari rice that is used to brew the beer is grown in Kawakita, so it was a very nice local touch.

You can pay to reserve seating closer to the stage, but we managed to stake out a free spot. Definitely get there early!

After the taiko performances and sunset, the lanterns were lit. This was part of a ceremony for Obon, the time of year when the Japanese go home to see their families and clean the family graves, and spectators were invited down to carry torches. After the procession, the torches to either side of the giant pole were set ablaze.

Then the main torch was lit:

What I really liked about this show was that in between sets of fireworks, the announcer explained what type they were and which company made them.

I did miss the orchestral music from shows in the US, but we got to hear about the history of fireworks, and the timing was so precise that we all made the last train home.

And the grand finale:

Luckily, the Ishikawa rain held off that weekend. It’s raining here again after sunny couple of weeks, but that means the summer heat is breaking. Soon the kakigôri will be off the menu at the market and it’ll be time for the fall rice harvest. For now, it’s time to crack open a Good Beer, head to the beach, and enjoy the weekends of summer.