Next edition — Nov 7, 2026 (CONFIRMED)
Tsuchiura's national fireworks competition brings makers to the Sakura River on the first Saturday of November. The 2026 event plans about 20,000 shells in three divisions from 17:30 to 20:00. Individual paid seats used an August–September lottery; group boxes had a separate first-come sale in July. The individual and resale application periods have now closed.
Tsuchiura Fireworks Competition Executive Committee — “2026 event overview and planned 17:30–20:00 hours” — https://tsuchiura-hanabi.jp/page/page000010.html (read 2026-10-10)
How the date is set — The first Saturday of November — 1 November in 2025, 7 November in 2026, confirmed by the organiser on 29 May. The competition starts at 17:30 and is planned to end at 20:00. Rain does not stop it; storm-class weather moves it to the following Saturday (14 November in 2026), and if that day fails too the edition is cancelled.
How often it runs — Every year since 1925, with a wartime break; cancelled in 2020 and 2021, and again in 2024, when a typhoon forecast stopped it the day before and no make-up date could be staffed.
Goes first — Prioritise the competition night, then compare rail bases with a workable return connection.
Act by — The initial 2026 hotel releases have passed. Check each property's remaining rooms and cancellations, and compare rail-connected alternatives.
Route Inn Tsuchiura, with 209 rooms, opened its 2026 special plan at 12:00 on 16 September through its own site. That property's initial sale has passed; each hotel sets its own release and terms.
Hotel Route Inn Tsuchiura — “2026 special-plan release, view limitations and cancellation policy” — https://www.route-inn.co.jp/hotel_list/ibaraki/index_hotel_id_673/ (read 2026-10-10)
A sold-out listing may reopen after a cancellation or an additional room release. 空きウォッチ Aki checks Rakuten Travel for new openings, so you can act when one appears.
Watch the rooms — free, no account
It began in 1925, when the head priest of Shinryu-ji temple, Akimoto Baiho, paid for a display on the shore of Lake Kasumigaura out of his own pocket — a memorial for the airmen of the Kasumigaura naval air station who had died in service, and a lift for a town flattened by the slump that followed the Great Kanto Earthquake. It has been on the Sakura River since 1971, and since 2000 the overall winner takes home the Prime Minister's Prize.
The three divisions are the evening's grammar. A 10号玉 is a 30 cm shell that climbs 330 metres and opens 300 metres wide; the starmines are fired from 22 positions of 40 metres each, one maker to a position; the creative division is seven 5号玉 shells shaped into letters, characters and whatever else a maker can draw on the sky. In 2025, the Prime Minister's Prize went to Nomura Fireworks, from Ibaraki itself.
The tourism association lists 15 member hotels and inns. Route Inn says some rooms may see distant fireworks, with no choice of room or floor. For 2026, Bells Inn released festival rooms on 15 June and Route Inn, which has 209 rooms, opened its special plan at noon on 16 September. Both initial releases have passed.
Check each property's remaining rooms and cancellation terms. Ushiku, Mito and Tokyo are alternative Joban Line bases if the return connection works. Include the venue walk and station-entry wait before choosing the hotel.
Spectators watch a competition between fireworks makers. Nomura Hanabi Kogyo of Ibaraki won the 2025 Prime Minister's Prize. In 2026, individual seats used a lottery and group boxes had a separate first-come sale; the individual and resale applications are now closed. Follow the current map and local controls for unticketed viewing.
Tsuchiura Fireworks Competition Executive Committee — “2026 individual seat and resale windows, now closed” — https://tsuchiura-hanabi.jp/page/page000298.html (read 2026-10-10)
Watching for free — For unticketed viewing, follow the current organiser map and local controls. Keep bridges and roads clear, obtain permission for private land, and do not assume that any space outside paid blocks is a viewing area.
How hard it actually is — The tourism association lists 15 member hotels and inns, not the city's entire supply. A room view is not guaranteed: Route Inn says some rooms may see distant fireworks, but guests cannot choose the room or floor. Check each property's current plans and compare Joban Line bases with a verified return.
What a night costs — Route Inn's 2026 festival plan listed ¥15,000 for a single to ¥34,000 for a comfort twin, with advance card payment. Its cancellation fee was 20% from 7 October, 50% from 23 October, 80% from 4 November and 100% on 7 November. Check the terms for the plan you book.
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