Tokyo Fire Department New Year Review (東京消防庁出初式)

Seem like visiting Fire Department new year kickoff review, (Dezome-shiki 出初式) is a famous To-do in town during new year. This is an annual ritual dating back over 3 centuries when it first held in 1659. The Wikipedia entry only written in Japanese, but you can read more about it on this tourism page.

I wasn't expecting a big crowd, but apparently this event manage to draws lots of attention, and I hardly found a spot to stand. If you plan to visit it next year, my advice is wake up earlier!

So let's the photos tell the stories.

This is team is called  Hyper Rescue Team (ハイパーレスキュー隊), set up since 95's Kobe earthquake.

"Hyper Rescue"...sound strange, but typical Japanese English ,  I guessed...

Besides parade with fire trucks and choppers, the event features a Hollywood style firefighting drills with explosive, and a ladder stunts performance by firefighters in Edo-era which always impressed me how well the Japanese preserved their culture.  

I'm not sure how this stunts on the ladder helps firefighting during Edo-era, but you get the idea that you need lots of people to held the bamboo ladder straight! 

Reporters at the sidelines.

The best shot of the day, likes the blue sky, the lens flare and the silhouette of scaling ladders