Sumida River Fireworks Festival 2016

Hello All,

I will be in Tokyo during the last week of July and am hoping to be able to see the Sumida River Fireworks (if it doesn't rain.) I'll actually be in Tokyo that early afternoon (Saturday July 30th) and I'm wondering where the best area is to see the fireworks. I have read that it will get quite crowded and a lot of people will reserve seats early in the day.

Will it be a problem to find a spot late in the day to just hang out and then watch the fireworks? The only information I could find is that it's near the Asakusa station.

Any information will help.
Thank you so much! :)

Ruby

It's quite hard to find a good spot later on, as lots of the areas along the river have restricted access that day and they are available only for those who have pre-reserved their seats there. Last year we could see people coming to take a place in the very limited free space as early as around noon. Note that they are high buildings along Sumida which make it difficult to observe the fireworks from other places in Asakusa apart from the riverbank. The crowds are massive, and in order for everybody to have a chance to see the event, the organizers make people walk slowly in a one-way direction, crossing the river from Asakusa to Ryogoku over the Azumabashi bridge, and returning by way of another bridge further south. The information centre in Asakusa will provide more detailed info.

Thank you for the information! We'll play it by ear once we get there then. Hopefully we can find a spot to see the fireworks.