The Nagaoka Fireworks are recognized as one of Japan’s three major fireworks festivals. It is held each year over two days on August 2 and 3, with both banks of the Shinano River in Nagaoka City serving as the venue.
The signature Shosanshakudama shell, which spreads to an impressive diameter of approximately 650 meters, fills the night sky, creating a breathtaking spectacle together with the “Niagara Super-Large Starmine,” which cascades like a waterfall.
The “Phoenix Fireworks,” created in the hope of recovery from the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake, stretch for approximately two kilometers, unfolding as if a phoenix were soaring across the night sky. The light that illuminates the night sky and leaves a deep, lasting impression stands as a symbol of prayer found only in Nagaoka. It holds the memories of a city that has overcome war damage and earthquakes, as well as hopes carried forward into the future.

The Katakai Festival is an autumn grand festival held at Asahara Shrine in Katakai, Ojiya City, taking place on the second Saturday of September and the day before. Over the two days, approximately 15,000 fireworks light up the night sky.
The fireworks have long been offered to the shrine, carrying life milestones, everyday wishes, and hopes for recovery into the night sky. On the days of the festival, Shinto rituals are held, including Tamaokuri, in which firework shells are presented before the shrine’s kami, and Tsutsuhiki, a rite performed to pray for the safety and success of the fireworks launch.
At night, shakudama fireworks are launched one after another, with the highlight being the massive Shoyonshakudama shell, which spreads to a diameter of approximately 800 meters and fills the night sky. When sound, light, and people’s feelings come together, the moment lives on in the community as an experience that reveals the depth of fireworks culture.

The Gion Kashiwazaki Festival, held each year from July 24 to 26, is the signature summer event of Kashiwazaki City. The festival concludes with the “Sea Fireworks,” held on the 26th against the backdrop of the Sea of Japan. Approximately 16,000 fireworks are launched over a span of about 90 minutes.
Set against the vast canvas of sea and sky, the fireworks bloom in all directions, creating a sense of scale and power found nowhere else. From wide starmine fireworks launched from a 600-meter-long seawall, to dreamlike underwater-aerial starmine that trace semicircles across the sea’s surface, and the simultaneous launch of 100 shakudama shells, the spectacle unfolds in a series of luminous scenes across the Sea of Japan. The dreamlike sight that illuminates the pitch-black ocean becomes a travel memory you can experience only here.