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Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition

土浦全国花火競技大会

Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition is a fireworks festival held in Ibaraki. Date: First Saturday of November (Nov 1–7 window); historically first Saturday of October until 2019. Total shells: about 20000. Attendance: Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass). No. 102回

Event essentials

Headline stats

Total Shells
20000
Duration
150 min
Nights
1 night(s)
Attendance
Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass)
Largest Shell
10号玉 (jikugō-dama, ~30cm diameter, ~7kg class — the primary competition shell size)
Founding Year
1925 (Taishō 14)

Signature Sequences

  1. 01'ワイドスターマイン 土浦花火づくし (Wide Starmine "Tsuchiura Hanabi-zukushi") — closing showcase using entire launch area; local organizer-sponsored'
  2. 027号玉フィナーレ (7号玉 finale shells) — closing shells equal in count to edition number (94 in 2025 → 95 in 2026)
  3. 03部門別コンクール (3-department competition format) — Starmine / 10号玉 / Creative
  4. 04広告余興花火 (advertising entertainment fireworks) — local corporate-sponsored between competition entries (not judged)
  5. 05内閣総理大臣賞 (Prime Minister's Award) — supreme award given to the highest-scoring single piece across all 3 departments (since 2000)
  6. 06秋開催の花火 (Autumn Fireworks) — one of Japan's few nationally-significant autumn fireworks (vs. the dominant summer hanabi season)
  7. 07Japan Three Great Competitive Fireworks (日本三大競技花火大会) — one of only TWO festivals where the Prime Minister's Award (内閣総理大臣賞) is given (the other is Omagari in Akita)
  8. 08Japan Three Great Fireworks (日本三大花火大会) — one of three (with Omagari & contested 3rd member)
  9. 09Autumn-only national fireworks — most major Japanese hanabi are summer; Tsuchiura is among the few prestige autumn festivals
  10. 10Free-entry competition (自由エントリー制 / 自由出品) — no pre-selection of pyrotechnic firms; competition is open to all Japanese makers
  11. 11Three-department format (Starmine / 10号玉 / Creative) — established the modern Starmine division in 1959 (previously treated as part of 仕掛け花火)
  12. 12Only Three-Great festival inside Greater Tokyo metro area (大曲 = Tohoku, 長岡 = Chubu) — uniquely accessible from Tokyo
  13. 13Prime Minister's Award reserve format — 3 division winners compete for supreme award; if any division's contest is voided (e.g., 2013 rain), that division is excluded

Venue & Access

Time Window
17:30–20:00 JST
Venue
Sakuragawa riverbed (桜川河川敷), downstream of Gakuen Ohashi Bridge (学園大橋下流付近)
Address
〒300-0036 茨城県土浦市桜川畔 (Sakuragawa riverside, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture) 36.087227°N, 140.180460°E
Venue Size
Launch line ~600m along Gakuen Ohashi to Tsuchiura Ohashi segment (right-bank fire site, left-bank seating)
Venue Floor Type
Grass embankment / paved promenade / mixed
Gates Open
Paid seats enter ~16:00; venue opens to public from morning
Paid-Seat Holder Entry
Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass)
Spectator Capacity
~800,000 typical (Wikipedia: 毎年約80万人の見物客が訪れる)
Production Company
~60 Japanese pyrotechnic firms (free-entry competition; no single host firm)
Sponsor
土浦全国花火競技大会実行委員会 (Tsuchiura All-Japan Fireworks Competition Executive Committee),土浦市商工観光課 (Tsuchiura City Commerce & Tourism Division — administrative host)

Access

Venue map

View on Google Maps

From major cities

From Tokyo
~45 min via JR Joban Line 特急 (Ueno Station → Tsuchiura Station); then 30 min walk or 10 min shuttle bus (~¥500 paid shuttle) to venue
From Osaka
~2h30m via Shinkansen + transfer (Shin-Osaka → Tokyo → Tsuchiura via Joban 特急); not commonly accessed from Kansai
From Sendai
~3h via Tohoku/Joetsu Shinkansen + Ueno transfer + Joban 特急; or direct 仙台 → Tsuchiura Joban 特急
Nearest Station
JR Joban Line Tsuchiura Station (JR常磐線 土浦駅) — east exit, 30 min walk or 10 min shuttle bus
Nearest Shinkansen
Not on Shinkansen network; nearest Shinkansen is Omiya Station (東北・上越新幹線); standard route from Tokyo via 上野 + Joban Line 特急
Local Transit
JR Tsuchiura Station east exit → ~10 min paid shuttle bus (関鉄 + JR Bus Kanto joint operation, runs 15:00–17:30 outbound, 18:30–21:30 inbound); ~30 min walk; Pasmo/Suica IC card accepted. Note: post-event return buses face heavy Sakuragawa traffic — allow extra time.
Parking
~4,500 car spaces (temporary parking around venue); 2023 introduced akippa reservation system for some lots
Parking Reservation
Recommended via akippa (https://akippa.jp/) for advance parking; some corporate lots require pre-booking
Lodging Strategy
Tsuchiura City hotels limited (~city pop 140k); book early. Alternative bases: Tsukuba (TX line, 15 min from Tsuchiura via Joban line), Tokyo Ueno (45 min), Mito (50 min). Festival fall weather: bring warm layers.
English Access
yes — official site offers machine translation (English / Traditional Chinese / Spanish / Portuguese / Korean / Thai / Indonesian / Vietnamese) via Google Translate widget; international credit cards accepted for paid seats
Cash Required
mixed (credit cards accepted for tickets; some yatai vendors cash-only)
Best Arrival
Paid seat holders: enter ~16:00. Day-trippers from Tokyo: arrive at Tsuchiura Station by 14:00 to avoid Joban Line congestion. The first 90 min of the show (17:30–19:00) are the 10号玉 + Creative divisions — quieter crowds; Starmine starts ~19:00 and pulls biggest crowd.
Peak Crowd
Starmine division (largest visual spectacle; approx. 19:00–19:30); closing Wide Starmine showcase (~20:00); 10号玉 climax; arrive 2 hours before start (15:30) for paid seat entry

Tickets

Weather Policy

Rain
Held in light rain; postponed to NEXT Saturday (Nov 8 → Nov 15 if Nov 8 also bad) only for typhoon or severe weather; 2013 10号玉 division was partially judged-equal-to-standard-shell due to visibility; 2024 was cancelled due to typhoon #21 + venue flooding
Decision Time
Day-before evening typically (per 2024 precedent — Nov 1 evening cancellation for Nov 2 event); decisions posted on official site + city official channels
Postponement
Postponed to following Saturday in same November (e.g., Nov 1 → Nov 8) if possible; if next Saturday also bad, festival voided (no further rescheduling — 2024 Nov 3 + Nov 9 backup dates also failed and event was voided without further attempts)
Wind Threshold
Not publicly specified as numeric threshold; 2018 cancelled due to 'strong winds' (mid-event)
Typical Risks
Early November: Pacific typhoon tail-end risk (2024 typhoon #21); Sakuragawa river flooding (2024 venue flood damage); cold evening temperatures (~5–10°C) compared to summer hanabi
Weather Cancellation History
2013 (rain voided 10号玉 partial judging), 2018 (mid-event wind cancel + accident), 2019 (heavy logistical load), 2024 (typhoon + flood + staff shortage — full cancellation cascade). Date was permanently moved to November in 2020 specifically to reduce October typhoon risk.

Sources and verification

Related festivals

Sister Festivals

  • Omagari HanabiJapan's only other 総理大臣賞 national competition (Akita)
  • Nagaoka Hanabisister Japan Three Great (Niigata; memorial character, not competitive)
  • Sakata HanabiYamagata national-level competition
  • Akagawa Hanabisister Yamagata-class design competition

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