Atami Marine Fireworks

Background

It began in 1952 as seaside fireworks to entertain hot-spring guests and revive Atami's post-war tourism. It is now Atami's calling card, and with the hot springs and Sun Beach makes up the trio of the 'Atami-style holiday'. Local ryokan often sell 'fireworks from your room', and on fireworks nights every inn in town is lit up, creating a warm scene of 'one town, one fireworks show' — a living fossil of hot-spring tourism culture since the Shōwa era.

Local customs

• Watching Atami's fireworks is especially laid-back: many people sit on the sand in their ryokan yukata and geta, beer in hand. The display lasts only about 20 minutes, prized for being 'short and beautiful'. The local habit is to take a night-time soak and stroll the hot-spring streets afterwards. Etiquette: don't take up large areas of beach with tripods
• be sure to take cigarette butts and rubbish away
• making noise in ryokan corridors late at night is considered rude.

Religion & beliefs

It's a modern fireworks display for promoting tourism, with no particular religious festival behind it. Still, as a hot-spring resort, Atami has an old custom of 'praying for cures through bathing', and more people visit shrines such as Kinomiya Shrine during fireworks season. Locals see the summer-night fireworks as an expression of hospitality, in keeping with the Shinto spirit of 'welcoming gods and guests', but there is no formal offering rite.

Travel tips

• The best viewing spots are around Atami Sun Beach and Shinsui Park
• the beach is free but you need to claim a spot 1–2 hours ahead
• Shinsui Park has paid viewing seats (book on the Atami City Tourism Association website). Access: the bay is about 15–20 minutes' walk from JR Atami Station
• roads around Route 135 are congested on fireworks days, so take the train (about 40 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station). Fireworks usually run from 20:20 to 20:40 (from 20:15 in July and August). Held rain or shine. Be sure to book accommodation in advance — room rates are high on fireworks days.

2026 schedule

• [to verify] Many dates throughout 2026: spring 26 April (Sun), 24 May (Sun)
• summer 20 July (Mon, holiday), 26 July (Sun), 5 August (Wed), 9 August (Sun), 18 August (Tue), 24 August (Mon)
• autumn 13 September (Sun), 12 October (Mon, holiday), 25 October (Sun), 8 November (Sun), 23 November (Mon, holiday)
• winter 6 December (Sun), 25 December (Fri), and 21 February 2027 (Sun). Source: the official annual schedule published by the Atami City Tourism Association on 27 October 2025 (cross-checked via https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gWNPvVjpsco and https://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw19463697). Customarily held more than ten times a year between April and December, on holidays and weekends.

Maps & transport notes

• Fireworks are launched over 'Atami Bay' (熱海湾)
• for viewing areas search 'Atami Sun Beach' (熱海サンビーチ) or 'Atami Shinsui Park' (熱海親水公園). Searching '熱海海上花火大会' directly on Google Maps also works.