Watching fireflies these days

I heard that fireflies might have become more rare the past years in Japan. Not sure how true this is or if this is as popular as the xherry blossoms, but keep wondering about the possibility to see some around Kanto, Chubu or Chugoku in summer.

Apparently they appear during rainy season, but maybe its different these days?

Yes, firefly season is in June, which corresponds to the rainy season in Japan.

In Kanto, I've seen them at Sankeien garden (Yokohama) and Tsuruoka Hachimangu shrine (Kamakura).

Fireflies can be seen from late June to late July. The first half
Many are large (Genji fireflies) and small (Heike fireflies) in the second half. Fireflies are abundant on riversides because fireflies larvae live in water. I hear that rivers are getting cleaner in recent years and fireflies are increasing.
But not as much as before. If you look at the clean river in the countryside, not in the city, you can see it in many places.
Fireflies in urban areas are farmed.

There are some firefly festivals , eg in Kugayama in Tokyo. And as PP said, those fireflies are raised for the occasion. But still are nice :-)

They are certainly not as popular as cherry blossoms, but there are a lot of people who enjoy them. Unfortunately, it is not that easy to get information on where to find them, especially in English. But if you spend enough time searching on the internet, you will find enough. You can also ask at your hotels and at tourist information centers, although these are not always good sources of information. All of the areas that you named have them in June. Although this is the rainy season, they wonft come out if itfs raining, though. They donft like much wind, either. So even if you go to the right place at the right time of month, the conditions have to be right.

I am particularly fond of them myself and have seen them in several places in Japan, pretty much every year for about the last ten years. (But I have spent more total time researching where to find them than I have actually spent watching them! It was worth the effort, though.) Itfs a little hard to find places where you can go to see them without driving, but there are some. Also, some hotels and ryokans have firefly events, and many locations have firefly festivals.

Fireflies are definitely magical and seeing them has been one of the most delightful parts of my trips to Japan over the years. Good luck with your quest!

Hi!

Supposedly if you want to see them in Tokyo, the garden attached to the Chizano Hotel : https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/garden/ is a well known firefly spot.

Depending on your schedule it might be easier to reach than some other places. The garden is open to the public but there seem to be special tours for guests only. A lot of people don't like visiting Japan in the Summer because it can be very hot and humid.

Good luck!