On the evening of 14th August, hubby and I went for dinner with my father-in-law and his wife at a restaurant named Kinpokan located in Ichinomiya city. Later in the evening, we enjoyed watching Nobi Fireworks Festival from the rooftop of the restaurant. The dinner and the fireworks viewing were arranged by Ichinomiya Chuo Rotary Club. My father-in-law is a member of the club and so we as the family members were also invited.
Kinpokan Restaurant is located about four kilometers west of hubby’s ancestral home and it took us fifteen minutes to reach the restaurant by car. We reached the restaurant at about 5.15 pm. Most of the dinner guests wore semi-formal western style dress. But there were quite a few women as well as men in traditional summer kimono named yukata. I wore a traditional Indian dress named salwar kameez. Nowadays I hardly get any opportunity to wear Indian clothes, and so I felt really good to wear salwar kameez that day.
Our table with father-in-law and his wife (in green top) seatedKinpokan Restaurant is located about four kilometers west of hubby’s ancestral home and it took us fifteen minutes to reach the restaurant by car. We reached the restaurant at about 5.15 pm. Most of the dinner guests wore semi-formal western style dress. But there were quite a few women as well as men in traditional summer kimono named yukata. I wore a traditional Indian dress named salwar kameez. Nowadays I hardly get any opportunity to wear Indian clothes, and so I felt really good to wear salwar kameez that day.
Waiting for the dinner to start
Father-in-law and his wife
Hubby feeling cold as the air-conditioner was right behind him
I am wearing salwar kameez
The dinner started at 5.30 pm. There were 40 guests and when all were seated, a member of the Rotary Club gave a small speech and proposed a toast, and we all raised our glasses and toasted by saying ‘kanpai’ (cheers). There were many brands of beer, sake, and non-alcoholic beverages to choose from. After some time, traditional multicourse Japanese dinner called kaiseki was served by women staff wearing elegant yukata. A predetermined sequence of dishes was served. Each dish was small and had a perfect balance of texture, appearance, and colors of food. Only fresh ingredients were used and the dishes were carefully and artistically arranged on plates that enhanced the appearance and flavor. The dinner included an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled fish, a steamed fish, sushi, a rice dish made with seasonal ingredients, dessert, and many more items. The food was absolutely wonderful and delicious. In fact I was so busy eating that I took photos of only a few dishes that were served initially and completely forgot to click photos of most of the dishes that were served later. During dinner many guests sang karaoke songs and it was nice to listen to a few popular Japanese songs of yesteryears that the elderly guests sang so beautifully. Several of my father-in-law’s friends came to our table with a bottle of beer, poured for each person, and chatted with everyone around. I especially enjoyed chatting with one of them who told about his experiences of travel to India. The dinner was really nice and enjoyable, and ended at about 7.20 pm.
Dinner served by a woman staff wearing yukata
Appetizer
Sashimi
Sushi
Grilled fish and a soup having vegetables, fish, and tofu
Another soup with vegetables
Father-in-law and his wife having dinner
Hubby having sushi
Hubby having dessert
A friend of father-in-law pouring beer for him and his wife
Another friend pouring beer for them
Karaoke singing
More karaoke singing
At about 7.25 pm, all the guests went to the rooftop of the restaurant to enjoy Nobi Fireworks Festival (Nobi Daihanabi). Fireworks displays are an important summer event in Japan. Nobi Fireworks Festival is held in Ichinomiya city on the banks of Kiso River, north of Nobi-Ohashi Bridge. This fireworks festival was started by Bisai city in 1892 and was known as Bisai Hanabi Taikai. In 1993 Hashima city of Gifu prefecture, located on the opposite bank of Kiso River, started collaborating in the festival, and the name of the festival was changed to Bisai-shi Hashima-shi Shimin Hanabi Taikai. In 2005, Bisai city merged with Ichinomiya city, and the name of the fireworks festival was changed to Nobi Daihanabi. This year the fireworks festival was held on 14th August from 7.30 pm to 8.45 pm.
Kinpokan Restaurant is located adjacent to Kiso River and the rooftop of the restaurant is a prime spot for a clear view of the display of fireworks. We saw many boats illuminated with lanterns floating down Kiso River. About 5000 fireworks were released on the banks of the river. In addition, six 20-gou warimono (60 centimeters round shell fireworks) were released which blooms up to 500 meters. Details about Japanese fireworks, shapes, and sizes can be found at this homepage (please click here). There was a continuous display of fireworks that lasted for 75 minutes. There were tables arranged on the rooftop and the guests enjoyed having beer or sake while enjoying the fireworks display. It was a wonderful experience. Hubby took a few photos of the various fireworks patterns and I compiled five videos of the fireworks display.
Fireworks display as viewed from the rooftop
Another display
Fireworks patterns
Fireworks patterns
Fireworks patterns
Fireworks patterns
Fireworks patterns
Compiled video of the fireworks festival - part 1
Compiled video of the fireworks festival - part 2
Compiled video of the fireworks festival - part 3
Compiled video of the fireworks festival - part 4
Compiled video of the fireworks festival - part 5
Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner at Kinpokan Restaurant as well as viewing the fireworks display of Nobi Fireworks Festival from the rooftop of the restaurant.
4 comments:
Mmmmm i love sushi.
Fabulous post. Am looking for more from your end! :)
Carole, it is nice to know that you love sushi. I also like it but my hubby is not a big fan of raw fish, so we eat sushi only a few times in a year.
Thanks Deepali for your comment. And thanks for following my blog. Please go through the archives section of this blog whenever you have time. I am writing this blog for the past three years now. You can read about many sightseeing spots of Japan. Hope to visit many more places and write about my experiences.
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