Tsuchiura Fireworks
Ibaraki · Fireworks festival
The autumn half of Japan's national fireworks competition, held in November when the air is clearer.
Dates
7 November 2026
Held on the first Saturday of November.
Tsuchiura is the other national competition, and the case for going is the month. November air over the Sakura river is dry and cold, which holds the colour and the outline of a shell better than August humidity does, and competitors save their sharpest work for it. The programme is split into three categories judged separately: starmine sequences fired in rapid series, ten-inch shells sent up singly, and a creative category where the makers can attempt whatever they like. The starmine rounds are the loud ones; the ten-inch rounds are where the crowd goes quiet.
Getting a good spot
November evenings on the riverbank are genuinely cold once you stop walking. Bring more warmth than the daytime temperature suggests, and note that return trains from Tsuchiura fill quickly after the finale.
Access
Common questions
When is the Tsuchiura fireworks competition?
On the first Saturday of November, on the bank of the Sakura river in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki.
Why hold fireworks in November?
Cold, dry autumn air holds a shell's colour and outline more sharply than summer humidity, so the competition rounds are judged in better conditions.