KanagawaLeisure

Sakawa River Sports Plaza (酒匂川スポーツ広場)

Flow of the course

Previous stop: Snack Your Way Through Odawara's Famous Fish-Paste Treats and Shop for Souvenirs

About 30 min from the previous stop

About 120 min here

Next stop: Get Dinner from the Food Stalls and Fill Up Along the River Before the Fireworks

About this spot

This is the riverbank area around Sakawa River Sports Plaza (酒匂川スポーツ広場), the venue for tonight's fireworks festival. A wide grassy field and open riverbank spread out here, and it's cherished by locals as a prime spot for watching fireworks. Arriving early in the evening and spreading out your leisure sheet lets you spend the time before the show with plenty of ease. In this open setting, with the mountains of Hakone (箱根) visible across the Sakawa River (酒匂川), watching the sky change color as the sun sinks while you wait for the show to start is one of the pleasures unique to a fireworks festival. Food stalls also appear from evening, so you can get dinner here as well.

Tips

About 15 minutes by bus from Odawara Station (小田原駅), or convenient by car. On the day of the fireworks festival, surrounding roads get congested, so using public transportation is recommended. The earlier you claim a spot, the better the location you can secure, but please follow the venue's rules when doing so. It's a good idea to check restroom locations early.