Every summer, the night skies in Japan are lit up by fantastic fireworks festivals. Most of these take place in July and August, during the summer vacation periods for schools and companies, but June brings a nighttime illumination of a softer sort with the arrival of the fireflies. Fireflies can be found across Japan in early summer, congregating in places where there’s a proper mix of foliage and water.
Their enchanting glow has a calming effect, which makes watching fireflies a great activity to indulge in on the same night as staying in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), and the following four all have special packages to mark firefly season. 1. Tsubaki (Kanagawa Prefecture) Hakone is the Tokyo area’s most famous onsen (hot spring) resort, but the coastal town of Yugawara offers a less crowded and touristy alternative.
The garden and ponds of Yugawara’s Tsubaki inn offer excellent firefly viewing opportunities, and from June 8 to 23 they offer a special Firefly Evening extra amenity package with a selection of chilled sake, folding fans to cool yourself with and take home, and even fireworks sets for kids. 2. Hoshi no Ya Kyoto (Kyoto Prefecture) Tucked away in the mountains of Kyoto’s Arashiyama district, Hoshi no Ya sits next to the Oi River.
Away from the din and lights of the city, the waterway is a gathering place for fireflies, and on the nights of June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16, the inn is offering a hotarugari (firefly viewing) package in which staff will g.
