The Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival is a volunteer-driven, community-made fireworks event that has become a beloved summer tradition in Osaka. It is planned and operated through donations from local volunteer staff and surrounding companies, groups, and shops. The festival is held every August along the Yodogawa riverbanks, roughly between the JR Tsukamoto Station area and the Hankyu Juso Station area, and it has grown more powerful and elaborate over time. Today it is among Osaka’s largest fireworks festivals, drawing around 600,000 visitors in a typical year. Fireworks are launched according to a different theme each year, entertaining audiences with fresh staging and effects. The “underwater fireworks” launched from the middle of the river are especially impressive, and depending on your seat, you can watch dynamic bursts right in front of you. Many viewing options are available, including meal-included seats with tables and chairs, and even special seats on a “noryosen” (cooling boat) that lets you enjoy the fireworks from very close range. The nearest station is Hankyu Juso Station; it’s about a 15-minute walk to the viewing area.