{"id":4689,"date":"2017-11-15T12:10:25","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T12:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4689"},"modified":"2017-12-07T09:42:19","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T09:42:19","slug":"japans-winter-festival-of-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan’s Incredible Winter Lights!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year when everyone stops, looks around and exclaims, \u2018Woah, it\u2019s mid-November already?!\u2019. In Japan, the passing of the year is marked in a much more beautiful fashion. Winter light festivals are a symphony of tiny, coloured bulbs which start as early as late October and last all the way through till spring, bringing a twinkling magic to the cold winter nights.<\/p>\n

\"Nabana<\/p>\n

Here we will tell you more about Japan’s incredible winter lights, so you can gather inspiration to weave a little winter magic into your tour of Japan<\/a> or, as Christmas is just around the corner, get some ideas for your festive light displays! Here\u2019s the best of the bunch:<\/p>\n

Winter Light Festival, Nabana No Sato<\/h3>\n

Close to the city of Kuwana, which is inbetween Kyoto and Tokyo, Nabana No Sato is a botanical theme park. Throughout the year it is a place of meticulously landscaped gardens and greenhouses full of fragrant flowers but when autumn rolls around it turns into a fairytale land of lights! Running from late October to mid-March annually, the theme for the lights changes on a yearly basis; in the past there\u2019s been Mount Fuji, Niagara Falls and the beauty of Mother Nature. The centrepiece though is the enchanting Tunnel of Lights, a 200 metre stretch of millions of LED lights for visitors to stroll through. What makes it even better is the fact that the lights are solar-powered, so the whole display is environmentally-friendly.<\/p>\n

Luminarie, Kobe<\/h3>\n

Lighting up Kobe for just over a week in December (it\u2019s running from 8th<\/sup> to 17th<\/sup> Dec in 2017), the Luminarie started as a commemoration for the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. Although it was supposed to be a one-off event it was so popular that it is still going strong 21 years later, and continues to symbolise the hope that it inspired in the people coping with the earthquake\u2019s destruction. The lights were donated by the Italian Government and every year over 200,000 hand painted bulbs are used, powered by biomass electricity.<\/p>\n

\"Lights<\/p>\n

Caretta Shiodome Winter Illuminations<\/h3>\n

From mid-November to mid-February, the Caretta Mall in Tokyo\u2019s Shiodome puts on one of the best light displays in the city, which is quite a feat! Using over 250,000 LEDs, the display blazes to life every 20 minutes throughout the winter evenings in a mesmerising display. The 2017\/2018 theme is Beauty and the Beast.<\/p>\n

Tokyo Mid Town<\/h3>\n

In its 10th<\/sup> year of bringing joy, the illuminations of Tokyo Midtown are so impressive it\u2019s quite common to see couples camped out with champagne in the evenings to spend time admiring them! The Starlight Garden is the pi\u00e8ce-de-resistance \u2013 an outdoor park by day, at night it is filled with the light of 280,000 digitally controlled LEDs. This display is lit up from 15th<\/sup> November until Christmas Day, so you can expect a wonderfully festival atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"Tokyo<\/p>\n

Kingdom of Light<\/h3>\n

Between November and April every year, the Kingdom of Light takes over Nagasaki\u2019s Dutch theme park Huis Ten Bosch. With a colossal 10 million bulbs used to create magnificent themed displays (last year there was a light dragon), make sure you check out the Art Garden of Light for something truly spectacular. Another magical feature is the illuminated canal, lit with underwater lighting that goes hyper-rainbow as a boat passes through.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Brochure<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Book an escorted tour of Japan\u00a0with the UK’s leading Asia Experts, Wendy Wu Tours. Our fully inclusive\u00a0tours visit all the major sights of Japan\u00a0for an unforgettable holiday.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We also have tours\u00a0to China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India and beyond\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year when everyone stops, looks around and exclaims, \u2018Woah, it\u2019s mid-November already?!\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[36,68,26,66],"yoast_head":"\nJapan's Incredible Winter Lights!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to festive light displays, Japan is the country to beat! Here are our favourite epic light festivals that make even the coldest night magical.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan's Incredible Winter Lights!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to festive light displays, Japan is the country to beat! Here are our favourite epic light festivals that make even the coldest night magical.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wendy Wu Tours Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/wendywuofficial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-15T12:10:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-12-07T09:42:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WendyWuToursUK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WendyWuToursUK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nicci Kimmel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Wendy Wu Tours Blog\",\"description\":\"Travel Articles and Inspiration\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Lights in Tokyo\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/\",\"name\":\"Japan's Incredible Winter Lights!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-15T12:10:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-12-07T09:42:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/419e1eb6b692b12481e1b6dbc50ea778\"},\"description\":\"When it comes to festive light displays, Japan is the country to beat! Here are our favourite epic light festivals that make even the coldest night magical.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Japan’s Incredible Winter Lights!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/419e1eb6b692b12481e1b6dbc50ea778\",\"name\":\"Nicci Kimmel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a9592f6c4799b82ec2b2d4091b202b63?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a9592f6c4799b82ec2b2d4091b202b63?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nicci Kimmel\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Japan's Incredible Winter Lights!","description":"When it comes to festive light displays, Japan is the country to beat! Here are our favourite epic light festivals that make even the coldest night magical.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Japan's Incredible Winter Lights!","og_description":"When it comes to festive light displays, Japan is the country to beat! Here are our favourite epic light festivals that make even the coldest night magical.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/","og_site_name":"Wendy Wu Tours Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/wendywuofficial","article_published_time":"2017-11-15T12:10:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-12-07T09:42:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@WendyWuToursUK","twitter_site":"@WendyWuToursUK","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nicci Kimmel","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Wendy Wu Tours Blog","description":"Travel Articles and Inspiration","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg","width":1920,"height":600,"caption":"Lights in Tokyo"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/","name":"Japan's Incredible Winter Lights!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2017-11-15T12:10:25+00:00","dateModified":"2017-12-07T09:42:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/419e1eb6b692b12481e1b6dbc50ea778"},"description":"When it comes to festive light displays, Japan is the country to beat! Here are our favourite epic light festivals that make even the coldest night magical.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/japans-winter-festival-of-lights\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Japan’s Incredible Winter Lights!"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/419e1eb6b692b12481e1b6dbc50ea778","name":"Nicci Kimmel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a9592f6c4799b82ec2b2d4091b202b63?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a9592f6c4799b82ec2b2d4091b202b63?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nicci Kimmel"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/japanlightsheader.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1545,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/top-things-to-do-in-japan-this-winter\/","url_meta":{"origin":4689,"position":0},"title":"The Top Things To Do In Japan This Winter","date":"10th January 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Japan is not just a beautiful place to visit in the summer months \u2013 it is even more beautiful when it is covered in snow during the winter. Those heading on tours of Japan in winter are in for a real treat as the country boasts snow festivals, dog sledding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Japan"","img":{"alt_text":"japan in winter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/fuji-in-winter.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2360,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/sapporo-snow-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":4689,"position":1},"title":"Sapporo Snow Festival","date":"19th April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The 67th Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in February 2017: now's your chance to discover this Japanese festival for yourself. Japan is on everyone's bucket list. With its juxtaposition of modernity and imperialism, sky-high skyscrapers and ornate temples, Michelin star dining and local soft-serve ice cream; Japan has it all.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Japan"","img":{"alt_text":"sapporo snow festival","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/sapporo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10762,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/the-best-time-to-visit-japan\/","url_meta":{"origin":4689,"position":2},"title":"The Best Time to Visit Japan","date":"16th October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A country that has long been on the bucketlists of many a traveller, Japan is a destination that can rightfully claim to have it all. A string of islands in the Pacific, exploring it you\u2019ll find a deeply ingrained, traditional culture, spectacular nature, a unique and delicious gastronomy, safe, modern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Autumn Leaves"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/shutterstock_413705413.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3268,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/china\/festivals-in-asia\/","url_meta":{"origin":4689,"position":3},"title":"4 of the Best Festivals in Asia","date":"27th October 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Everyone loves a good festival. From Pancake Day to Bonfire Night, there\u2019s nothing better than diving into all that these festivities entail with frying pan in one hand and sparkler in the other. Have you thought about experiencing a festival in Asia? The continent has some of the most incredible\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "China"","img":{"alt_text":"festivals in asia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/lanterns-three.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3037,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/festivals-and-celebrations-in-japan\/","url_meta":{"origin":4689,"position":4},"title":"Festivals and Celebrations in Japan","date":"6th September 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"If you are heading to Japan you are in for a treat. The festivals (\u2018matsuri\u2019 in Japanese) and celebrations in Japan are some of the most magnificent in the world and offer an experience of culture and history that is not to be missed. John Asano from Japan Travel Advice\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Japan"","img":{"alt_text":"japan's festivals and celebration","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/japan-festivals-celebration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4175,"url":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/japan\/what-to-do-in-the-summer-in-japan\/","url_meta":{"origin":4689,"position":5},"title":"What to do in the summer in Japan","date":"10th July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Everyone knows the lures of Japan in the spring; the beautiful pastel shades of pink and white from sakura and the many celebrations that take place during this very sacred part of the year. But what happenswhen that finishes? When you\u2019re left wondering how to enjoy summer in Japan? The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Japan"","img":{"alt_text":"What to do in the summer in Japan","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mt-fuji-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4689"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4689"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4750,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4689\/revisions\/4750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}