TRAVEL TO JAPAN does not have to be limited to cherry blossom time, as the country lights up with special illumination events during winter. The displays start in late October and run till March 2017.
The light displays are located in areas along the routes of Tobu Railway — the biggest private railroad company in Kanto, Japan — through Tokyo and four neighboring prefectures. Travelers can make their way to Tokyo, Tochigi, Saitama, and Miyagi all within a day or an overnight trip to witness the spectacular sights. The journey can start from Asakusa or Tokyo station.
• Ashikaga Flower Park Flower Fantasy – A Light Flower Garden
With 3.5 million lights, this is the biggest illumination event in the Kanto area. The entire park is decorated with colorful lights and includes the “Miraculous Great Wisteria,” a reproduction of an enchanted wisteria trellis using illumination that looks like a real wisteria trellis swaying in the wind. There will also be a “Light Rose” which has 5,000 roses, and a “Light Water Lily.” An aurora created using lights will also appear in the sky above the “Snow World” showing an image of Santa Claus, flying across the sky.
The Light Flower Garden is on view until Feb. 5 (closed on Dec. 31), from 4:30 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and 9:30 p.m. on weekends. Admission is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for children.
• Tobu World Square Illumination
One can see the simultaneous light-up of 102 reproductions of world-famous buildings from 21 countries done on a 1/25 scale, including 46 buildings registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. All the buildings — including the Tokyo Skytree, Taipei 101, the Eiffel Tower, Milan’s Duomo, and the pyramids of Egypt — will be decorated with lights. Tobu World Square is located near the Kinugawa Hot Spring, one of the prominent hot springs in Kanto. Visitors can combine both attractions in one visit.
The park is open daily from Nov. 5 to March 5, then on selected days in March, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Depending on the dates, admission ranges from ¥2,500 to ¥2,800 for adults, and ¥1,000 to ¥1,400 for children.
• Tobu Zoo Winter Illumination
At the Tobu Zoo in Saitama, a LED screen more than 20 meters in length will take center stage, accompanied by 2 million LED lights decorating the park. The “Rhythmination” of lights to computer-generated images on the screen is a sight to behold. There is also a “starlight zoo parade” where animals move around the park together with illumination cars, and a “reindeer event” during the Christmas season.
The event will be held from Nov. 12 to Feb. 12 (it will be closed on some days in this period. Check www.tobuzoo.com/global/english/ for details. The Illumination pass (park admission + unlimited rides) costs ¥2,500 for adults and ¥1,800 for children.
• Sendai Pageant of Starlight
Started out as a project of a local volunteer 31 years ago, this has become a winter tradition in Sentai. It is held along Jozenji-dori, a street lined with 160 zelkova trees in rows stretching for 800 meters. The trees are completely wrapped in lights — around 600,000 LED lights are used to decorate them. A pedestrian walkway runs through the street’s center so that visitors can enjoy walking right under the illuminated trees.
The Pageant of Starlight is held from Dec. 9 to 31, with the light turned on from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays plus on Dec. 22, and from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on Dec. 31.
• Tokyo Skytree Town Dream Christmas 2016
The Tokyo Skytree tower will be turned into the world’s tallest Christmas tree through special lighting. Various spots in Tokyo Skytree Town will also be decorated with about 400,000 lights. The lower section of the Tokyo Skytree tower will be used as the main screen for the first time and visitors can enjoy a visual display that takes advantage of the structure of the tower body.
It will be all lit up from Nov. 10 to Dec. 25, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays plus Dec. 22, and from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on Dec. 31.
