So Yamanashi day 3 was the day we ranged pretty far. We rented a car and drove out to a peach orchard, to the Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture, out to the base of Mt Fuji and the Fujisan World Heritage Centre, and then back towards Kofu city where we stopped at Fuefuki when we realized they were doing their annual fireworks and cormorant fishing festival. I remember reading about this festival years ago and wanting to go, but the timing didn’t work out, so it was lovely to come upon it by chance.
At the festival, they use captive cormorant birds to catch fish for them. This was once a career someone could have, but now it’s one or two experts training volunteers from the local high school in how to do it. Once a year, over the course of a week, they go to the Fuefuki river, in front of city hall and do it for an audience. Afterwards, there’s a mini fireworks show. It’s actually rather nice spreading the fireworks over a whole week (and at multiple locations along the river, it seems), because it means that you don’t get those super intense crowds that you do when it’s a one-night-a-year event. These crowds are why I usually avoid summer fireworks (it helps that Hammy doesn’t like the loud noises).
I hate taking photos of fireworks, by the way: I’d rather just watch them. But I’m somehow always compelled to try. It’s like taking photos of the moon. Without the right equipment, it always looks like crap. I was really lucky with a couple of things that day: the cormorant fishing event was lit with those huge lights they use to do nighttime construction that gave the scene some nice contrast. I could use my own positioning to find interesting lighting looks.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos!
You can see the full-size gallery here: https://awoolner.smugmug.com/Website-Albums/2024-07-27-Yamanashi-Day-3/n-dC45j7
