Two rows on a rooftop,
beside the Chosei Bridge.
August 2, 2026. It was the first year the rooftop of the Nagaoka Hanabi Building was used for fireworks viewing.
That first year was run as a trial, by invitation only — no tickets were sold — and 22 people spent the evening with us.
This is what that night was like, told through photographs taken on the day and the words of the people who were there.
That evening
Nagaoka reached 29.7°C that day. There were zero minutes of sunshine, almost no wind, and no rain. Heavy cloud hung low as the light went, and once the fireworks began the smoke drifted slowly and settled over the water.
In the survey we sent afterwards, the thing guests mentioned most often was not the fireworks themselves. It was the absence of crowds (6 of 10 people). After that came the height of the view, and then having a toilet close by. No staking out a spot hours ahead, two hours seated in a chair, and a walk home that avoids the crush — that, it turns out, is what these seats actually offer.
The view from the roof
Light that belongs to Nagaoka
Before it is a fireworks festival, Nagaoka is an act of remembrance and recovery. There is a moment when words appear in the sky.
The venue itself
What you really can, and cannot, see
There is no point in publishing only the good parts, so here is exactly what our guests told us.
- From some seats, part of the right-hand side is hidden. There is a penthouse structure on the right of the roof, and from seats towards the right it cuts off the right edge of the fireworks. Three guests raised this independently. The Nagaoka display is about 2km wide to begin with, so no venue anywhere sees all of it. We would rather tell you this first than have you discover it on the night, and in 2027 we will measure the sightline from each seat and publish it.
- The toilet was under renovation. Four guests said it helped to have one close by; three said the state of it bothered them. The same toilet split opinion. It is being renovated ahead of 2027.
- There are stairs. There is no lift to the roof. Please bear this in mind if you are elderly or bringing small children.
- There was no kiosk on the roof. Guests had to go down to the ground floor. In 2027 we will serve drinks on the roof itself.
What our guests said
Ten people replied to the survey we sent after the event. Only those who gave permission are quoted here, shown by their initials.
※ The comments below were written in Japanese and have been translated.
“I am from Nagaoka myself, and yet I had given up on going because of the crowds. Then this invitation arrived out of nowhere, and at 43 my heart raced for the first time in years. A wonderful location, drinks close at hand so nobody overheated — a perfect few hours.”
“The rooftop had a clear view, there was a breeze, it was cool, and there were no mosquitoes or insects. You could see the whole display and still feel the ground shake. Before I realised it I was crying. I have seen the Nagaoka fireworks several times, and I have never been moved like that.”
“I never imagined I would watch the Nagaoka fireworks in a setting like this. It is one of the biggest moments in my family’s memories. And there were no insects — I get bitten by mosquitoes without fail, and on that roof not once.”
“No crowds, and everyone there was someone you could feel at ease around — that was the best part. Being able to use a toilet straight away made it easy.”
“I do not cope well with crowds, and with only about twenty people there was no jostling and no bumping into anyone. We could relax. We had a child with us, so having a toilet mattered.”
“Not having to sit on the ground — having a chair and watching in comfort. And a clean toilet nearby.”
2026 in numbers
(August 2)
seats only
(out of 5, n=10)
Venue: Nagaoka Hanabi Building rooftop viewing deck (1-7-11 Yamada, Nagaoka, Niigata) — all seats assigned, two rows only, toilet inside the building, kiosk on the ground floor.
Of the ten people who answered the survey, none said they would not want to come again.
Towards 2027
The 2027 Nagaoka Matsuri Grand Fireworks Festival falls on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 August. Guided by what our guests told us, we are preparing the following.
- Renovating the toilet
- Measuring the sightline from every seat and publishing a seat map
- Serving drinks on the roof
- Safety work, including the access to the penthouse level
Once the on-sale date, pricing and seat count are decided, we will contact the early-notice list first.
Join the 2027 early-notice listTakes 30 seconds — you hear before the public announcement ← Back to Nagaoka Hanabi Building
Some of the photographs here were provided by guests who joined us in 2026.
They are published with their permission, credited by initials. Thank you.