Flavors & Fireworks: A Summer Night to Remember in Ichinohe

On the 28th of june, I had the chance to attend the Ichinohe Food & Fireworks Festival (Ichinohe Food Festa Hanabi). It was a Summer festivals (natsu matsuri) with a special focus on food. As with many Japanese summer festivals, it turned out to be full of surprises and new discoveries, this natsu matsuri in particular turned out to be full of surprises and new discoveries. 

One of the things I was most surprised about was that the students of the Ichinohe Junior High School were the ones who prupose the idea and pushed forward to hold a fireworks show at this event. Stories like this in Ichinohe, shows me that here in small towns like this, young people/students often play a key role as a "motor of change". They are the one who inspire how to become a dream into reality while thinking about the town's future. In my school the best that a student could do was to prupose to have a pool at the school, win for president while of course no pool and no visible change or job was done haha.

Anyways, thanks to the students recommendation the festival was actually made at that school, which opened their doors for everybody. Walking around the festival grounds felt like stepping into a life of course I didn't have but reminded me of all the animes I've seen making it feel like a classic summer postcard. 

The food

As being a Food & Firework festival, on of the main were the local stalls who were selling all the classics: yakisoba, yakitori, takoyaki... always delicious but on top of that, some other local stores also joined with special booths. 

One of my favorite wa's the amazing ice cream from Okunakayama Kogen Gelato, famous for their unique flavors like kurogoma (black sesame), 夏キウイ, and their exclusive white chocolate, and amazake. But on this day, they decided to sell ミックスベリーヨーグルトflavor, which I absolutely loved！ 

Another stand even sold a chashu dog — basically a hot dog, but with chashu pork instead of a sausage. I'm showing you a fake picture because it was so good that I forgot to took a picture haha, but I promise you it was very unique and delicious! 

The ambient

Lastly, no summer festival in Iwate would be complete without Nanbu Bijin, a famous sake brewery from Ninohe. They’re known for producing some of the best sake in the region (and even winning international awards). We tried some of their original cocktails — and honestly, they were 10/10. Perfectly refreshing for a warm summer night. 

The event also featured two live concerts. During one of them, we randomly asked the band to play a song in English, and to our surprise, this guy knew Stand By Me! We ended up singing along from the audience, creating one of those unforgettable spontaneous moments that only happen at local festivals.

In the end,

Ichinohe Food & Fireworks Festival wasn’t just about food or fireworks. It was a perfect example of how a small community can come together to create something magical, led by the creativity and energy of its young people.

If you ever have the chance to join a local festival like this, don’t hesitate. Whether you come with your family, friends, or even alone, you might end up dancing, eating unexpected treats, and singing Stand By Me under the summer sky.