
Experience the thrill of being an action movie star while posing in front of professionally controlled explosions.
On April 28, the third annual Baku [Explosion] Festival (爆フェス) will take place in Hitachiomiya City, Ibaraki Prefecture, in a quarry often used as a set location for movies, TV shows, and music videos. The experience is sure to feel like a dream come true for anyone who spent their childhoods pretending to be superheroes in a tokusatsu special effects movie.
▼ The quarry in Ibaraki where the festival will take place
Japanese special effects company Skytech, also from Ibaraki Prefecture, is organizing the event with special attention to safety and detail. Its main draw is the opportunity to take photos in front of two types of detonations–a napalm explosion that makes a big boom and a cement explosion that fans flames and dust over a wide area.
▼ Fiery scenes from the Baku Festival last year
It’s also the perfect chance to don costumes or cosplays while posing for a variety of purposes. Please note that participants are in charge of bringing their own camera equipment or hiring professional photographers to document the experience.
▼ For instance–not a bad promotional image for a YouTuber!
The day will feature a number of timeslots for different parties between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Each slot costs 30,000 yen (US$194) for up to two people. If each person pays an additional 10,000 yen, the timeslot can include up to five people instead.
There will also be freestyle motocross shows on the day of the event. For anyone who just wants to watch those without taking their own exploding action-shot photos, the admission fee is 2,200 yen.
For some inspiration of what characters or poses you might want to try making in front of the flames, see this piece on a similar past event in Tochigi Prefecture.
Source: Baku Festival via Mainichi Shimbun
Top image: Baku Festival
Images: Baku Festival
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