Hanabi

Mia's visit was timed perfectly for Hanabi here in Japan so I took her to a local display which was big by Japanese standards but HUGE compared to anything we'd seen in the UK.

If I had been more prepared it would have been nice to maybe get Yukatas for the both of us to dress up for the occasion. We still had a good time seeing everyone else's and admiring all the patterns.

One of my housemates was super organised and reserved a big spot for guesthouse residents and their friends, he used this flag to mark the location so everyone could find it.

The fireworks were launched from the opposite side of the river which made for some beautiful reflections in the water.

It was a great atmosphere. Everyone was cheering for the particularly big explosions and the display itself was fantastic. I went to another display in Tokyo last year so I sort of knew what to expect but it was fun to see the amazement on Mia's face seeing it for the first time.

That's one of the best parts of having visitors out here, I can relive all those "wow!" feelings that I had when I first got here. It's pretty full-on playing Tour Guide for someone, especially when they're staying with you, I need a couple of days to recover but I'm starting to look forward to the next visitor now.