00:00 John Daub: Welcome to Nagano, everybody. The rain is starting to come down. Suspicious-looking clouds. There's Kanae and Leo who have come here for the fireworks festival. Tonight at 6:30, you're all invited. I'll be live streaming right here on this channel. The link is up, so put the reminder on. Fireworks festival—we're going to be launching right there. Check it out. Look at how beautiful this place is. We're on the banks of the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture, Nagano City. Those are apple trees over there.

01:01 John Daub: Nagano City has decided to fire the fireworks up with us, so we're partners in this. Pretty cool. A bunch of kids and local residents are coming. It's not a big event by any means—mostly broadcast right here on Only in Japan Go. A lot of people will be watching tonight at 6:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time. I wanted to show you the fireworks setup, but Aoki-san and the team—it's raining, it's sunny, pretty weird. Right now, they're testing some fireworks to make sure the electronics work. They've been setting up the complicated wiring pyrotechnic stuff. Once finished, they told me I can go in and take a look at the fireworks set up for us tonight, along with Nagano City's. We might have more fireworks than Nagano City does.

01:31 John Daub: They've said they're using copyrighted music, so I have to go to a spot where we can't hear the audio too well. Glad we know in advance. I drove here from Tokyo to Nagano—took about three and a half hours in this nice Toyota RAV4. Are you ready? Leo's sleeping. I bet the fireworks test wakes him up. They've been playing this copyrighted music the whole time. I don't understand why music has to be played with fireworks. I always play my own music in my mind. I have a vivid imagination. It's amazing they came out here to the middle of nowhere—except for some farms and the river beyond those trees. I'm so excited. Ryan is here—excited for later. I'll be live at 6:30 due to the meeting, but watching for sure. Thank you. Happy you can watch. In the US, it's 5:30 a.m. East Coast, 2:30 a.m. California—so late one for California, early for New York.

03:17 Kanae Daub: Johnny's joining me for the vivid imagination thing.

03:24 John Daub: The fireworks factory where Aoki-san makes them is up in the mountains for safety reasons—few people around. Gives an amazing view of Nagano City, up in the hills somewhere. Our drive from Tokyo was stunning. Highway here—all the trees from halfway around Gunma looked like natural fireworks from Mother Nature. Vegetation in red, orange, yellow, some evergreens green. There is the manager—you'll see him in the documentary, short interview about Aoki-san's fireworks. Maybe he'll give us an interview on what they're doing. They're getting ready for a test. See the team huddled up? They have that button like the Roadrunner had with TNT. Does it say Acme on that black box?

04:53 John Daub: It was the first day of the Kickstarter rights about a month and a half ago. We had this Kickstarter going for a while. Didn't promote it heavily on live streams—didn't do many over the last couple months, so didn't seem like much promotion compared to last year. Hope I can find that windproof mic wire—tonight's live stream without it won't be as nice. We'll block the wind somehow. Still got time. This isn't too big—mostly ours. Looks like a bunch of number threes, some bigger ones. This big bank in the center is our fireworks. Quite a bit, thanks to the last-minute push. Last 30 minutes, 20% funding came in—amazing. Last two hours a few days ago. Kept Kickstarter going almost to event day, November 1st, so you could be part of it. Some missed it—maybe next year something else. Trying to convince Peter von Gomm to motorcycle Hokkaido. Just waiting for the all clear to show fireworks and wiring.

07:03 John Daub: Let me get behind this car—actually into the car. You can go inside to keep warm. Cooler here in Nagano—way outside. Kanae's got a sweater, I've got shorts—not the best idea. Gonna be chilly tonight. We'll go to the hotel, reset, charge batteries, bring stuff. Got lights, tons of equipment, two drones for air shots—pretty cool, look down as they launch. If from a distance, maybe. Fireworks festival not very long—starts 6:30, our Only in Japan fireworks around 6:45, 15 minutes in. Then done. Short program. Back to car, hotel for warm dinner. Leo'll be sleeping.

08:44 John Daub: Let's see if we can look at the fireworks. How's signal strength? Upload speed three times faster than Tokyo—weird. Best at 720p. Still waiting. Light rain coming down—worrying, but forecast cloudy tonight. Inside the truck to stay dry. Drove car along riverbank, parked back here. Pretty amazing. Grazi on 720p on 4K TV—you're with me live, cool. If lightning, maybe better than fireworks—natural storm like typhoon.

10:34 Kanae Daub: Are you okay? Mata?

10:36 John Daub: We're going that far? If we don't get in the car, won't be able. Have to drive up slope—explosions coming.

11:01 Kanae Daub: Okay if you can't get in car, go this way. Want to stay here with Leo or come in car? Then get in car. Close the window? Okay.

11:38 John Daub: All right, close door. It's okay, mom. Still on live—want to show everybody, take you with me.

12:01 Kanae Daub: Janine and Karl. Get inside—you have to. Have to go inside, they're shooting now. Have to be in car or dangerous.

12:26 John Daub: Do we have to move car? Guess so—they're moving. Hold camera—you talk with me. Leo still sleeping. Didn't expect to move. Deep sleep. John back—gonna move car, not fall into paddies. Think I rolled over farmer's. Gotta go—sorry, fix later.

14:19 Kanae Daub: Your seatbelt!

14:32 John Daub: Put seatbelt. Look at people with tripods. Everybody in Japan backs up—I'm not that guy, but okay, backing up.

16:15 John Daub: Postcards done—sending from Nagano Central Post Office. Janine and Carl in there. Separated by country—Barbados, Northern Mariana Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, India, Romania. Can't send some—not accepting mail from abroad.

17:10 John Daub: They're doing a test. Amazing what we did with crowdfunding—put together on riverbank in middle of nowhere. Power of everybody coming together. Put Aoki-san's company to work, got permits. Check that bird—is that a crow? Toby (crow). Or hawk, eagle? Beautiful. Crow eater—Toby's nemesis. Windy—back inside.

18:32 John Daub: Can watch from car window. Wanna go back to hotel? Can't take car. Wake up—didn't know we'd be here whole time. Leo trapped with mommy and daddy—watch daddy film. Chilly, change to pants. Wind strong. Need hot water for Leo. They're parking, getting food—free time? Show at 6:30 p.m. JST. Battery charger ready. Did opening for Only in Japan main channel episode. Gonna test fireworks soon. Set up platform like last year. Last year audience at Omagari in Akita—Japan National Fireworks. This just riverbank, not big. Locals coming—put tripod here. Close to fireworks.

20:41 Kanae Daub: What you gonna film?

20:45 John Daub: Don't know—just locals. Did main channel opening with drone shots 20-30 minutes ago, then live stream. Rainer here—buy for Kawaii Leo. He's cuter than me. Japanese konbini (convenience store) have baby food? Drugstore like Matsumoto Kiyoshi. Wind—find wire. Good reception—maybe GH5 live stream if needed. Storms clear evening, wind settles at night. First road trip—went to Costco before, but he slept 3.5 hours buckled in. Want to see Leo's face at fireworks. Japan has daytime fireworks—mostly smoke, boom, colored smoke. Looking at launch site—dots on horizon by Aoki-san's company. Moving away—starting soon.

24:02 John Daub: Didn't know copyrighted music. Wanted to turn off—takes away feeling for watchers. More watch upload later—can't if music. Put mic away from speakers, hear bangs, edit music in—hard. Wanted daytime fireworks in Omagari, Katakai—but did street food. Maybe Omagari winter. They do day hanabi (fireworks) before big festivals.

25:37 Kanae Daub: Next year—hope many from abroad to Omagari.

25:52 John Daub: Worth Shinkansen—go Morioka, Akita Shinkansen to Omagari. Long but wow. Travel for food, fireworks no-brainer. Good yatai (street food stalls)—yakisoba, osakayaki, takoyaki, grilled beef sticks.

26:48 Kanae Daub: Leo.

27:01 John Daub: Food festivals canceled till next year. Last was Tokyo Dome live stream pre-pandemic—300-400k views, eating furusato (hometown) festival food from Japan.

27:55 John Daub: Wind—what to do? Find wire. Yodobashi camera here? Amazon from Tokyo sometimes <12 hours. Music booth, announcer, lights, generator. Shaku dama (1-shaku ball shells) November 28 Yamanashi—live stream setup. Three weeks away—cold, winter not best for fireworks. Seven or eight shaku dama bought, one shaku dama bang 5 combo. Bargain. Community star mine—two total. Good launch.

30:02 Kanae Daub: Leo fireworks. You want oil? Ask them—we go convenience store too. Go hotel.

30:25 John Daub: Takes 30 minutes to Nagano Station—not convenient. Check hotel, organize—not much time, back here. Rain coming—not good. Got documentary opening done. How fireworks in rain? Fire and rain don't mix.

31:23 Kanae Daub: They gave oil—didn't have any. Got that.

31:30 John Daub: No have it—go convenience. Stop live stream for store. Rain clears in two hours. Can't take down to cannons—waiting rain pass. Separated five meters each. Copyright J-pop—loud. Close windows. Soundproof Toyota. No sleep last night—postcards late. Plastic bottles sound? Testing tonight—waiting. Get Leo hot water, onigiri. Ours big one—Kickstarter money. Interviewed manager for documentary—get comment today.

34:27 John Daub: Hope not our music—hip-hop soul, not J-pop. Nagano TV interview. 3 p.m.—hotel too. Tonight 6:30 live—link there, reminder. Show bangs, flashes, light sky. Thanks Kickstarter backers—550 funded, more money than last year, rolled over. Why not royalty-free? Thanks—share Japan experience. 2022 come join bus to fireworks.

37:24 John Daub: See in few hours—live Nagano tomorrow, next day till morning of 5th, drive Tokyo. Music bad—tell team? Hope see you tonight. Bye from car—bye Leo. He knows not going anywhere. Bye everybody.