Japan Photo Journal: Fireworks brighten the mood in Hokkaido amid virus resurge

Visitors watch fireworks in the night sky behind about a 20-meter-tall Christmas tree illuminated by about 150,000 LED lights in the city of Hakodate, Hokkaido, on Dec. 1, 2020. The 23rd Hakodate Christmas Fantasy festival opened on the day at Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse, a major sightseeing location in the city in Japan's northernmost prefecture. The dazzling show started at 6 p.m. amid a mood of voluntary restraint due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections.

(Japanese original by Kohei Shinkai, Hokkaido News Department)