The Noshiro Fireworks Festival, held annually on the third Saturday of July, lights up the skies over Noshiro Port with around 15,000 fireworks—making it one of the most spectacular displays in the Tohoku region.

It’s the only fireworks event in all of Tohoku to launch the massive sanshakudama, a 90cm shell that blooms into a dazzling burst nearly one kilometer wide.

Every firework is precisely synchronized with music using computer control, creating a stunning audiovisual show.

Set against the backdrop of the World Natural Heritage site Shirakami Sanchi, this dazzling summer tradition is a collaboration between four top fireworks companies from Akita Prefecture. A must-see for anyone visiting Akita in the summer.