CONTENTS
Illumination, light show, light up, holiday lights, whatever you want to call it, this Japanese tradition adds a little warmth to chilly winter nights in Tokyo!
The sun is setting earlier, and nights are getting cooler, and in Japan that means one thing for sure: it's time for "illumination" events! From Japan's unique Halloween through Valentine's Day, nights are lit up with unique holiday light displays, attracting couples looking for romance, friends looking to snap a few insta-bae pictures, and kids marveling at the glittering exhibitions.
While illuminations are popular in Japan every year, they're sure to be especially popular in 2020 (and 2021) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, due to their outdoor nature. So slap on a mask and head outside to enjoy some bracing night air in and around Tokyo, and some sparkling illumination displays!
✨ HANA Akari ~ Take Akari ga Tomosu Hana Biyori no Yoru ~ ✨
Since Yomiuriland's Hana-Biyori botanical garden opened in spring this year, it has quickly become a popular place to spend time outside and take pretty pictures among the ample flowers and trees, not far from central Tokyo. Of course, while winter might mean fewer bright flowers blooming, it also means the start of a special light-up event in the garden, Hana Akari, with bamboo lanterns lighting the romantic paths.
Hana Akari ~ Take Akari ga Tomosu Hana Biyori no Yoru ~
Venue: Hana-Biyori, Yomiuriland, 4015-1 Yanokuchi, Inagi, Tokyo
Date: October 31, 2020 ~ February 28, 2021
(Only on weekends for most of 2021.)
Time: 16:00 ~
Official Website (jp)
✨ Yomiuriland Jewellumination ✨
Yomiuriland's illumination event doesn't stop at the borders of the Hana-Biyori botanical garden! In fact, this amusement park has been holding the main portion of its popular light display for years, with 12 different zones and quite literally millions of lights.
It's pretty up close, and the view of Tokyo from afar is pretty gorgeous too!
▶ Take a look at what Jewellumination looked like in 2018.
Yomiuriland Jewellumination
Venue: Yomiuriland, 4015-1 Yanokuchi, Inagi, Tokyo
Date: October 22, 2020 ~ April 4, 2021
Time: 16:00 – 20:30
Official Website (en)
✨ Roppongi Hills Christmas 2020 ✨
This 400-meter chunk of Tokyo is brightly lit with simple lights that look like freshly fallen snow―700,000 lights to be exact! The glittering trees are an early winter must-see!
▶ Get a better look at the event back in 2015!
Roppongi Hills Christmas 2020
Venue: Roppongi Hills, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo
Date: November 13 ~ December 25, 2020
Time: 17:00 – 23:00
Official Website (jp)
✨ Marunouchi Illumination 2020 ✨
This annual event brings warmth to the Marunouchi area, right outside Tokyo Station, and adds a bit of sparkle to an already high-end shopping area. More than a million champagne-colored lights, special eco-friendly low-energy bulbs, glitter in the trees lining the street.
Marunouchi Illumination 2020
Venue: Marunouchi Naka-Dori Avenue, Tokyo
Date: November 5, 2020 ~ February 14, 2021
Time: 15:00 – 23:00
Official Website (en)
✨ Flower Fantasy: The Garden of Illuminated Flowers ✨
Ranked in the top three Japanese illumination events, Ashikaga Flower Park is a whole park, brought to life with over 5 million lights every night. The enormous event space draws visitors from all over Japan each season, and while their light-up wisteria gardens have been popular for years, we know Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba fans will be flocking to Ashikaga in 2020!
Flower Fantasy: The Garden of Illuminated Flowers
Venue: Ashikaga Flower Park, 607 Hasamacho, Ashikaga, Tochigi
Date: October 17, 2020 ~ February 7, 2021
Time: 16:30 – 20:30 (Weekends ~21:00)
Official Website (en)
For more updates and info from Japan, follow Japankuru on twitter, instagram, and facebook!
PROFILE
It's my fourth year living in Tokyo now, and I love wandering Japan looking for good food, lovely new places, and the best tourist attractions throughout the country.
COMMENT
FEATURED MEDIA
VIEW MORE・The new Tokyo flagship for Volcom Japan is a center for all things skateboarding, street fashion, art, and culture, all in the heart of Shibuya! ・Volcom日本旗艦店東京澀谷登場 本格派滑板街頭潮流藝文新據點 #Volcom #japankuru #shibuya #日本購物 #日本潮流 #日本街頭時尚 #澀谷 #東京購物 #東京購物推薦 #東京潮店 #澀谷潮店 #滑板 #雪板 #衝浪 #볼컴 #시부야
Which snacks make the best Japanese souvenirs?~ Jaga Pirika ~ 일본과자 선물 뭐하지?~자가피리카 편~ #pr #calbee #jagapokkuru #japanesesnacks #japanesefood #japanesesouvenir #japantravel #japantrip #naritaairport #hokkaido #나리타국제공항 #일본여행선물 #흔하지않은기념품 #일본쇼핑리스트 #일본과자추천 #고구마과자 #일본간식추천 #일본면세점쇼핑 #개별포장 #일본감자칩 #도쿄나리타공항면세점 #현지인추천 #일본여행 #일본기념품리스트 #자가포쿠루 #자가피리카
Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in all of Tokyo, is almost here! Make sure you check out the festival route so you don't miss all the festivities this May. #asakusa #sanjafestival #sanjamatsuri #asakusashrine #sensoji #sensojitemple #japanesefestival #shintoshrine #japaneseculture #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #asakusasightseeing #matsuri #japantrip #japantravel #springinjapan #tokyotravel #japankuru #산자마츠리 #아사쿠사 #일본마츠리 #일본여행 #일본5월
Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄
Evangelion, in miniature!? Tokyo's SMALL WORLDS Miniature Museum is actually a must-see for anime lovers, thanks to the tiny Evangelion Hangar and Tokyo-III... plus a whole universe of other scenes both real and fictional. #smallworlds #smallworldstokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japantrip #japantravel #에반게리온 #스몰월드 #에반겔리온 #スモールワールズ #오다이바 #아리아케
Have you sat down for a snack at Sumida Aquarium yet? This aquarium next to Tokyo Skytree is known for its penguins and garden eels, but we can't get enough of their cute snacks! There are lots of good seats around the aquarium, too, so it almost feels like one big cafe. 🐧 • Find out more at Japankuru.com! (Link in bio.) • #japankuru #sumidaaquarium #skytree #tokyoskytree #solamachi #sumida #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #aquarium #japanesesweets #themecafe #すみだ水族館 #Japan #日本 #일본 #Japon #ญี่ปุ่น #Japão #япония #japantravel #日本旅行 #日本旅遊 #japan_of_insta #japantrip #traveljapan #japan🇯🇵 #igerstokyo #explorejapan
For anime fans, the Evangelion areas at Small Worlds Miniature Museum are a must see! The tiny miniature people in the Evangelion Hangar look like ants beneath the moving Unit-01, Unit-00, and Unit-02! And over in Tokyo-III, characters like Shinji, Rei, and Katsuragi live life on a miniature scale. #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #ariake #smallworlds #miniaturemuseum #smallworldstokyo #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japankuru #스몰월드 #에반게리온 #오다이바 #오다이바관광 #오다이바스몰월드 #미니어쳐