Takarazuka Fireworks

Through the kindness of Sakakibara-san, a TIFA member, three of us foreigners were invited to a home above the river this evening to watch the Takarazuka fireworks.  We watched the pallet of explosives on the river dwindle over forty-five minutes as the contents exploded into the air and drifted down to the their reflection in the river below.  Images of manga appeared on a building across the way and epic orchestral music played throughout.  Girls wore their traditional summer yukata's and wooden shoes and all the convenient stores and groceries were selling beer and bentos to keep the crowd happy.

view of Takarazuka from the veranda before the fireworks

the bed of explosives 

Takarazuka Grand Theatre (home of the Revue) in the background

the word for fireworks in Japanese is "hanabi"
(the word for flower is "hana" and for fire "bi" or "hi")
this stem/blossom configuration was used a lot in the firework aesthetic

the city in the aftermath