Japanese people are fond of Hotaru (fireflies), those fantastic glowing creatures. So "Hotaru (fireflies) viewing" is one of the popular seasonal activities since old times. However, Tokyo area has been developed so much and Japanese Hotarus require clean creeks or ponds to hatch, it is rare for people in Tokyo area to have any chance to see Hotarus.
Therefore, nowadays any area with some wildness attracts visitors with an advertisement such as "You can see Hotaru here!" and holds viewing events during summer.
Yuyake-koyake Fureai-no-sato Park in Hachioji city, Tokyo is one of these places. This park has a huge ground with full of nature and includes many facilities such as a youth-hostel, a campground, a restaurant, a shop for local produce, and a museum. Also a small beautiful creek is running through the park as shown in the second to the upper left end photo, and every year Hotarus appear in this park.
During the daytime the park charges entrance fees, but after 6 pm between June 11th and 26th they open the gate free of charge for the Hotaru event and people can enjoy viewing Hotarus in the park as you can see in the event poster on the upper center photo.
When I arrived there it was a little after 6 pm, and some people had already started going down to the creak as shown in the upper right end photo, although it is still too bright. Some people set their cameras on good locations and everybody there waited for Hotarus quietly. Finally it got dark around 7:30 pm, Hotarus with green-yellow lights came out here and there as shown in the photos on the lower row.
A little later, Hotarus are flying not only around the creek but over the lawns, around the facilities, and over rice paddies in the park. People welcomed Hotarus with admiration, and children were chasing them around even though it is prohibited to catch them in the park. We had a nice time of an early summer day and returned home.
There is a related post on June 18th in my other blog "Yuko's Japan Guide", please check it, too!
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