Today, for some reason, I find myself missing a typical British Bonfire Night: a small fireworks display above an effigy of a burning man observed while standing in the rain in a muddy field, writing your name in the air with sparklers and eating toffee apples.

Remember remember the fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason,

Should ever be forgot…

There’s something rather dark about the whole affair which cannot quite be replaced by a superb hour-long display on a clear summer evening in Japan.