Kitaura Fireworks

Through the mountains to the north, is the small fishing village of Kitaura. The winding road rises up and down, through mountains via tunnels and often skirting alongside a gigantic precapice. In fact, often the road seems to be sandwiched between two equally unpleasant dangers - falling boulders and a drop into oblivion. Add to this the somewhat daring driving of the local people who are well accustomed to the road and you have a rather unique 40 minutes of driving experience.

We were invited to the village for the firework display that happens every summer. It is a tradition to go dressed in traditional attire for a summer evening - a yukata or jimbe; both are very comfortable in the dying heat of the evening.

The fireworks themselves were exceedingly good and were made all the more exciting due to the echoes that rattled around the mountains that enclose the village. Fireworks are often associated to the far east and it comes as little surprise that the Japanese are able to provide an excellent spectacle.