A Dreamy, Dazzling World of Light: Must-Visit Christmas Festivals in Japan

Japan holds Christmas events across the country every year at the end of the year, with dazzling light displays always being the highlight. The ever-changing colorful lights lead travelers into a fantastical world. The Top Three Light Festivals in the Kanto region attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and last year’s much-talked-about Osaka Light Festival has been upgraded this year. Japan’s largest sand dunes, Tottori Sand Dunes, present a grand light show themed around “nature and the fantasy space of light.”

The Light Renaissance takes center stage on Nakanoshima Island, unfolding a grand and magnificent light festival. In addition to the romantic Christmas winter night created by beautiful street lighting, this year’s Osaka Castle light show will not only feature new light patterns but also be larger, more gorgeous, and more vibrant than last year. Organizers say they will create an even more spectacular light art display than before, and everyone is encouraged to look forward to it. Inside Osaka Castle, a vast blue sea of lights has been set up, creating a romantic atmosphere like the ocean. The light show is also combined with music to deliver a dreamy musical light festival. On New Year’s Eve, December 31, popular singer Ai Otsuka has been specially invited, hoping everyone will gather at Osaka Castle to welcome 2015. The “Osaka Light Renaissance” and the “Midosuji Illumination” will be held starting December 1 and continue until January 18, 2015.

 

Enoshima Observatory is recognized by the Night View Tourism Association as one of Japan’s Night View Heritage sites, attracting about 6 million visitors each year. Surrounded by the clear winter air, it is the season that showcases the most naturally beautiful scenery all year round. In winter, from the top of the Enoshima SEA CANDLE observatory down to the garden below, a vast space is enveloped in light, adorned with a light tunnel made of 40,000 crystals. The SEA CANDLE, tinged in white and purple, is like a “Festival of Light and Color,” filled with a dreamy atmosphere. In addition, from the top of the observatory, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Yokohama’s night scenery, and the winter tulips along with the illuminated decorations of the Enoden train are also must-see winter wonders. The event runs from November 29 to February 1, 2015, with the lights turned on daily at 5:00 PM.

Become the master of the “Light Picture Book”! Tokyo German Village’s light display enters its ninth year this year, using 2 million bulbs to create a fantastical world. Beyond the allure of dazzling brilliance, “illuminating the light within the heart” is what makes Tokyo German Village’s light show so captivating. The beautiful interplay of light and shadow creates moving scenes reminiscent of storybook illustrations. The event will run from November 8 to March 31, 2015, with the lights turned on daily at 4:00 PM. Starlight tickets go on sale at 3:30 PM, and entry is available by vehicle or on foot.