Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition

Tsuchiura is one of the three great fireworks festivals of Japan and the only one held in autumn. On the first Saturday of November, from 17:30 to 20:00, the leading pyrotechnicians of the country compete on the banks of the Sakura River near the Gakuen-Ohashi Bridge, firing single shells, starmine barrages and elaborate creative pieces set to music. As at Omagari, the makers are competing for their reputations, and the programme is a showcase of the state of the art rather than a simple display.

The cold is part of the appeal. November air is clear and still, so the shells are sharper and the smoke drifts away faster than on a humid summer night, and the crowd, wrapped in coats and blankets, has a different mood from the yukata-clad throngs of August. Paid seating is sold in advance and free viewing along the river fills through the afternoon; bring a mat and something warm to drink.

Tsuchiura is about an hour from Tokyo on the JR Joban Line, which makes it one of the most accessible of the great festivals and also means the station is overwhelmed after the finale. Leave the moment the last shell fades or wait out the crush in the town. Expect a night that is genuinely cold by the water, and a programme whose quieter competition sections reward attention.