# Joso Kinugawa Fireworks

> Competition shells from firms across Japan, fired over the Kinugawa an hour north of Tokyo.

- Prefecture: Ibaraki
- Type: Fireworks
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: Held on a Saturday in September.
- Official site: https://joso-hanabi.jp/

## Dates

- 2026-09-12 to 2026-09-12
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-09-03 from https://joso-hanabi.jp/

Joso runs its fireworks as a competition. Firms come from around the country with shells built for judging rather than for filling the sky, so the programme moves in single set pieces with pauses between them, and the crowd watches the way a crowd watches a scored event. The 2026 edition is the 59th and the largest the city has put on, about 22,000 shells over the Kinugawa from the riverbank at Hashimoto Sports Park, from 18:05 to 19:50. The setting is flat farmland, which means the river is the only thing between the launch site and the seats, and sound arrives with almost no delay. Paid seating sells out through the summer; the free banks fill from mid-afternoon.

## Where it happens
- Tsukuba-san Shrine

## FAQ

### When is the Joso Kinugawa fireworks festival?

On a Saturday in September, 12 September in 2026, from 18:05 to 19:50 on the Kinugawa riverbank at Hashimoto Sports Park.

### How do you get there from Tokyo?

Tsukuba Express to Moriya, change to the Kanto Railway Joso Line for Mizukaido, then 15 minutes on foot. Allow well over an hour to get back afterwards.

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Source: Joso Kinugawa Fireworks — Japan Voyage