The hundred-thousand rolls were gone within an hour after arriving at Daiei. People were buying four or five rolls at a time.
Many people believe that lighting fireworks just before the New Year brings good luck.
The smoke that rises from the ropes of burning firecrackers is said to scare the bad spirits and chase them away. My family has celebrated New Year's Eve at my grandma's house every year since I was little. We'd start the festivities at our house first. When my sisters and I were younger we'd play with sparklers and morning glories. We'd watch all the neighborhood kids play with all the other stuff that we were too scared or not allowed to try, like the flower spinners.