The neighbors let off firework after firework across the whole sky, which keeps you very busy trying to guess where the next one will appear, “Maybe it’ll be over here!? No, there it is!”
As Independence Day approaches, they start selling fireworks in warehouse-like buildings, where the goods for sale change from season to season. (They might sell fireworks in summer and Halloween costumes and goods in fall, for example.)
This year I decided on the spur of the moment to go and see one of these shops.
When I was a child, we often used to light sparklers on summer nights in Japan. Going into the shop here with that image of fireworks in my mind, it was surprising how different they are here! In the shop there were rows of fireworks packaged in big fearsome looking boxes...To my surprise there were hardly any of the fireworks I had imagined (LOL).
Naturally, I didn’t have the courage to pick anything too exciting (and the prices were higher than I thought!!), so I went over to where the smaller fireworks were on display, just like a kids’ candy corner.
There were lots of fireworks with unusual names, like “Circus Peanuts,” “Dirty Dog,” and “Black Snakes.” (The fireworks in this section were several dollars!) It was my first time to see all these different packages and I had no idea at all what sort of fireworks they were, so I just bought a few nice-looking ones, based entirely on looks.
There were fireworks with gradually changing colors, ones that just give off colorful smoke, wheel-shaped ones that spin, ones where once the firework has finished a parachute is launched into the air with a bang and falls back down that I thought kids would really enjoy, and so on...
These fireworks (photo below) turn into black shapes from the point where you light them, like writhing snakes (LOL).
Well, I have only shown you a few of them, but I am sure there are a lot more unusual and fun fireworks. I think next year I will find out a lot more about the various fireworks before I go to a shop.
I miss the fireworks festivals in Japan of course, but on this Independence Day summer evening, I discovered it’s also nice to stay in the comfort of your own home, away from crowds, where you can relax and watch the fireworks that your neighbors let off for you to see.
(Note: Different states allow different consumer fireworks and have different rules as well.)
