Sumida River Fireworks Festival held for first time in four years in Tokyo

The skies over Tokyo's Sumida Ward were lit up on Saturday night as one of the capital's most popular summer fireworks festivals was held for the first time since 2019. The annual Sumida River Fireworks Festival was canceled for three years in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic but resumed this year after the government downgraded the legal classification of the disease in May.

About 20,000 colorful fireworks were shot into the sky between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Thousands of young people and families gathered to watch the spectacle, many of them wearing summer kimono called "yukata." The spectators cheered and took photographs as the fireworks soared skyward.