sparklers

We had quite a late start, which I put down to jetlag (although we actually got up pretty late most days - Tokyo is tiring) before heading out for a walk along the river by Adam's flat to grab some lunch. The heat was pretty overwhelming, I think it was averagely 32/33º most days, and in the sun it was almost unbearable. By the end of the holiday I felt pretty used to the weather, and didn't want to leave the shorts and tshirt weather to come back to miserable-weathered England...!

The evening saw our adventure to watch one of the biggest firework displays in Tokyo, which lasts an hour and a half! We set out at 5pm, although they didn't start until half 7, to try and set up in a really good spot. That didn't quite go to plan, as we found a good bridge, but discovered you weren't allowed to stop on it, and instead had to be slowly cattled across by police...!

The first bridge was a failure, as the fireworks nearest us hadn't started as we walked across, so we made our way to the next bridge. I have never experienced crowds so busy. Thousands of people clearly had the same idea. With a little bit of cheeky pushing in - Adam enjoys disobeying Japanese authority... - we managed to be on the bridge just in time for the final 15 minutes, very impressive they were too! It was tense as we slowly got closer to bridge, unsure whether we were gonna make it in time.

We then walked to the new Tokyo Skytree, because Tokyo in the evening is delightful, especially with such warm weather, slowly leaving the insane crowds that littered the streets. Walking along a new park space, we found kids and adults lighting their own fireworks and sparklers.