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Omagari Fireworks Festival (Omagari Hanabi)
With over 100 years of history, Omagari Hanabi is Japan’s largest firework competition, held on the last Saturday of every August, attracting nearly 700,000 visitors.
With over 100 years of history, Omagari Fireworks is one of the Three Best Firework Festivals in Japan. The Suwa Shrine in Omagari started it as an entertainment in their festival in 1910. Now it is the summer staple in Akita.
Officially, it is called the National Fireworks Competition “Omagari Hanabi,” where firework artists chosen from all over Japan bring their very best in order to win Japan's Number One. Between the competition, the sponsoring fireworks, Wide Star Mine, shoots up the work prepared in one whole year. The Star Mines of a grand scale laid in a row will be shot all at once along music. The competition-sponsored fireworks are especially marvelous and many come to watch mainly this. Each year not only domestic but also overseas spectators gather to total 700,000. After the show is over, the traffic jam lasts until midnight all over the city, but the popularity never ends.
Besides the summer national competition, there are “Haru no Sho (Spring Chapter)” which shows international and Japanese fireworks, “Aki no Sho (Fall Chapter)” with unique presentations, “The New Firework Collection” by young artists, etc. in each season to appeal fireworks throughout the year.
Highlights
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One of the Three Best Firework Festivals in Japan with over 100 years of history.
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Firework artists chosen from all over Japan shoot up their very best in order to win.
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Akita’s summer staple which attracts nearly 700,000 visitors each year.
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Besides the summer national competition, firework events are held in each season.