Wow! Over 15,000 fireworks lit up the night with a competition that lasted nearly 3 hours. The fireworks were quite spectacular. Ranging from massive circular patterns, to frogs, cats, and rabbits. There were thousands of people who attended the festival, some had camping spots along the river as well as near the viewing area. I went with my roommate Yota and his friend Konachi. We arrived in the mid-afternoon and found a nice spot in the shade of a bridge, near a group of campers. On a side note, camping vehicles in Japan are much more space efficient than the ones I have seen in the United States, and would make a great buy! There were of course numerous food vendors all over with a variety of delectable edibles. I of course had to try the 牛タン, that is cow tongue. Delicious! I also had a special ice cream treat,ババヘラ, pronounced "ba-ba-he-ra". It has a slightly different texture than other ice creams and is unique to the surrounding area. After the fireworks finished, we headed back to the train station, which had a line that I could not compare with any others. That is, it was very long. So, after waiting for some time we boarded the train and headed back to Wada station. When we arrived at Wada it was fairly late in the night and the last bus for AIU had already left. So, when prompted with the question of whether I would like to walk back or take a taxi, I of course decided on the more adventurous option. No bears were encountered on the return home and we arrived safely after an enjoyable starlit walk.
