Old skool Japanese illuminations are the most beautiful of all

One of the things I love about the nighttime light displays in Japan is that they’re not “holiday lights” that become obsolete the minute Santa and his reindeer are yesterday’s news, they’re “winter illuminations” that light up the long nights from the beginning of November to the end of February.

And even though Japan’s cutting-edge lighting designers employ a mesmerizing bag of tech tricks to beguile modern viewers, my very favorite illuminations display is the old-fashioned “Hana Akari” at the Hana Biyori botanical garden, right next to Yomiuriland.

Using only pierced bamboo to light the way with lovely patterns of light and shadow…

and flowers to bring a splash of color…

this dark garden path becomes a sparkling fairy road beneath the trees, beckoning us through the portal…

to stairs lined with glowing paper parasols…

and the inviting gate beyond, which began its life at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.

That’s where the path takes a turn I never expected. A stone bridge spans a sacred pond, lit with thousands of flickering laser “fireflies”…

and leading to Japan’s best-kept spiritual secret: a pagoda housing two bodhisattva figures that are Important Cultural Properties as well as Buddha’s actual ashes and hair.

Wait…WHAT?

I know! I couldn’t believe it myself—even minor Buddha relics like teeth and such are usually surrounded by the kind of fame that creates long lines just to get near them. You can’t go inside this red pagoda and see the sacred relics (because Japan) but the surreal feeling of finding yourself standing outside it on a sparkling winter night and feeling the physical nearness of such an epic religious figure is pretty amazing.

The path in front of the pagoda is lined with another wall of bright parasols, with the distant looping lights of the Yomiuriland roller coasters in the background.

But that’s not all! Coming down off the mountain, the Hana Biyori hall invites us inside to admire its “floral chandeliers” and sip a hot cup of coffee while waiting for the periodic floral projection mapping show. I missed the show when I was there, but here’s what it looks like:

You’d think that would be satisfying enough, but even the path back to the entrance is lined with charming illuminations. These little lanterns threw beautiful patterns to light the way…

to a fabulously lit hana-chōzu temple basin filled with flowers…

with its own lucky dragon…

flanked by more brilliantly lit basins of flowers.

The things I loved about this illumination were that it transformed a garden that would deliver an utterly different experience in the daytime, and instead of the lights themselves being the thing you couldn’t look away from, they enhanced the space all around, creating a magical oasis of light amid the darkness.

•

The “HanaAkari” display at Hana-Biyori will be lighting up the night through February 25, 2024

Open: Every day

Hours: 16:00 – 20:00

Admission: Adults ¥1200, Children ¥600

And while you’re there, go check out the entirely different (but spectacular) illuminations and dancing fountain shows at Yomiuriland next door!

Yomiuriland admission (park entrance only, no rides):
Adults ¥1800
Students (12-17) ¥1200
Children (3-11) ¥1000

•

If you love art that light up the night in all kinds of ways…

Get more Japanese goodness straight from the source!
Subscribe to my monthly Japanagram e-magazine・° ♪・☆ It’s free!

Japanese Home Cooking recipes • Beyond Tokyo travel destinations • Seasonal Secret shopping & events • The Thing I Learned Today • Why, Japan, Why? • Monthly book or J-swag giveaway