Kamakura Fireworks

Click on an image to see an enlargement.

Andy Barker kindly gave up his time to introduce me and some other novice photographers to the spectacular Kamakura Hanabi Taikai, where fireworks are fired from ships out in the bay. Andy and I arrived early in the afternoon to stake out a good shooting spot on the crowded sunny beach. The tide kept forcing us to pull our tarpaulins back, to general amusement. As evening fell, all around us colourful bikinis were replaced with equally colourful yukata. Phil Ono, author of website PhotoGuide Japan (see links) joined us to demonstrate shooting beachlife from the hip (with flash!) and recorded the photographic action for us (the last image above). Wind and low cloud threatened to ruin the display, and many of the fireworks were partially hidden behind veils of smoke. Andy didn't even take his gear out of the bag, but we snap-happy amateurs got plenty of practice. Although it made the fireworks less than perfect, the wind and smoke added to the atmosphere. It bordered on the ominous at times, when high flying rockets disappeared completely and lit up the clouds in a succession of colours. Other displays such as Yokohama and Sumida River are more extravagant, but the superb combination of sea, sky and fire made this a very distinctive display. If you are planning a trip to Tokyo in Summer, put a firework display on your list of essential trips, and seriously consider Kamakura. It's about an hour and fifteen minutes from Tokyo Station, but be prepared for crowds! This page created on a Macintosh using

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