Golden Fireworks Burst Behind Towering Tokyo Bay Skyscrapers

Bursts of gold and pink fireworks glowed behind the city’s high-rise towers on Saturday night, October 24, as the Tokyo Bay Grand Fireworks Festival returned, with low rain clouds swallowing the tops of the biggest shells.

X user Crystal, a photographer who regularly shoots fireworks, filmed the display across the water, as bursts climbed past a row of skyscrapers and vanished into the cloud base while the lights of Rainbow Bridge and a blue-lit arch bridge shone below.

“As expected, it was no good at all because of the low clouds. I was under the tailgate, so the rain was fine, but next year the view will change depending on how far the stadium construction gets, so I wanted to capture it perfectly this year,” the filmer wrote.

The show, a revival of a much-loved summer tradition that had been dormant for 11 years, saw about 12,000 fireworks launched over the sea near Harumi Pier from 5:30 p.m. Ticket-only viewing areas around the bay held some 110,000 people despite a gloomy, drizzly evening.

Chuo and Minato wards staged the festival to celebrate their 80th birthdays, moving it to October after years of August events threatened by heat and sudden storms.