Visit Ueda to make fireworks, cook up homemade soba noodles, explore the ruins of a samurai castle, and more! If you're planning a trip to Japan, don't miss a visit to this city in Nagano. It's an easy day trip from Tokyo with peaceful small-town vibes, and a lot of fun you'll find nowhere else. It's also known for hosting part of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and being the setting of the popular anime film Summer Wars! On our trip, we participated in a fireworks-making class, visiting a real local fireworks workshop to put together custom fireworks by hand! Not only could we choose the colors and make them ourselves, but the night finished with an exclusive private fireworks display, where we launched our own fireworks before seeing what real professionals can put together.