In the last two weeks I was in Japan I went to a fireworks festival with my girlfriend and some friends. The festival was very exciting. It started fairly early in the day and there were a lot of things to eat and drink. Fireworks festivals are popular in Japan. I was only able to go to one of them, but a few weeks after I left Japan there was the biggest festival in Fukushima city. Around the same time the largest festival in Japan took place in a city to the west of Aizu.
When we arrived there it was still early, and as it became later more and more people arrived. By the time the fireworks were about to start the field was nearly full. This festival took place right next to a river on some sports fields.
This festival took place in Fukushima city, a town that is about two hours by train from Aizu. After the festival we tried to go back to the train station, but were not able to find the bus. We ended up walking to the station, but by that time it was too late to go all the way back to Aizu.
That night instead we went back part way to Aizu and stayed in an internet cafe overnight. It was about $20, and came with the free breakfast pictured below. In the cafe we each got a stall with a big cushion on the floor. This place had strange, square pillows you could borrow as well as blankets. It was a little bit noisy so I was lucky to have earplugs in by bag.
In the end the trip turned out to be a lot of fun, but more of an adventure than we planned. It was interesting to stay in the internet cafe, but next time I think I'd rather sleep in a bed.
