They had fireworks tonight in Yokohama, and it was a very interesting experience. There must have been 2 million people down at the park and it was completely chocka down there with more people than I’ve seen in a long time. People marked out their spots on the ground and I’d say most people had at least an obstructed view of the fireworks. I wandered about looking at people and the docks that they had opened just for this occasion (normally it’s shut-off from the public), so I had a good time. There were plenty of crazy people who had parked and put on their car alarms, which were going off all over the place (in an american voice: “Please step away from the car” – eesh). There were lots of little kids around, some didn’t like the loud noises, but there were lots of families enjoying the evening and there was also lots of beer.
I found out later that the celebration was for the opening of the port in Yokohama – the first place that Japan opened their ports to foreign lands. That would be Perry, who convinced Japan to open up.