Illumination Events in Japan

Shirakawago Winter Light-Up 2025

See a traditional Japanese village lit up bright on a cold winter's night.

Kayabuki no Sato Snow (Miyama Village) Lantern Festival

An amazing chance to see a remote, snow-covered thatched village illuminated with hundreds of lanterns.

Festival of Lights Osaka

See Osaka come alive with light on those cold winter nights.

Kyoto Candlelight Concert: Best of Joe Hisaishi (Studio Ghibli)

Warm up a chilly night with candlelight and your favorite songs from Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi.

Light Cycles Kyoto

Visit Light Cycles Kyoto at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens, Japan's oldest public botanical gardens, for unique installations uniting light, sound, and projection art.

Fukuoka Phantom Castle

See Fukuoka Castle shine in all its glory at this special illumination event happening between March and April.

teamLab: Digitized Fukuyama Castle

teamLab: Digitized Fukuyama Castle is a fantastic exhibition created by light from the international art collective teamLab that will take place in Fukuyama. It coincides with the 400th …

ROHM Illumination

This was Kyoto’s largest illumination with over 860,000 lights and some stunning spaces. Highlights included the well-known pair of Yamamomo trees which mark the entrance to the glowing …

Higashiyama Hanatoro

Update: Higashiyama Hanatoro ended indefinitely on its 20th anniversary in 2022. See the atmospheric streets of Kyoto’s Higashiyama softly illuminated with thousands of lanterns at this …

Kyoto Arashiyama Hanatouro – Illuminations

This event permanently ended in 2021. If you are looking for other illuminations in Kyoto and Japan check out our articles on the ones in autumn and winter. The quiet streets of Arashiyama and …

Illuminight at Banpaku Park

A winter illumination event that makes the most of its surroundings, prepare to see the famous Tower of the Sun sculpture in a whole new light. Held annually and timed to coincide with the Ramen …

Light Up Promenade

A Summer illumination with all the city’s best locations all lit up, this is a great time to explore Nara late into the evening. The five story pagoda of Kofukuji Temple, Yakushiji Temple …

Man-Toro at Kasuga Shrine

Meaning 10,000 lanterns, Man Toro is a traditional festival originally held only in February but now also celebrated in August for two nights. Despite the name, there are actually only around …