Synopsis

Amidst the drone of cicadas, the gentle chime of wind bells, and the sharp crack of baseball bats, few things capture the essence of Japanese summer quite like the spectacle of fireworks. Across the nation, literally thousands of fireworks displays draw millions of onlookers. For many in Japan, summer is simply incomplete without them—but what is the root of this tradition? This edition of Japanology Plus explores that very question.