The LED lighting project entitled “‘Go, Kitami!’ White Illumination for Support” started on December 1 at a small park in front of Kitami Red Cross Hospital in Eastern Hokkaido’s Okhotsk region. Magical lighting spans the entire park expanse, and passers-by are stopping to gaze at it.

The planning committee organized the first installment of this lighting initiative in the 2020 fiscal year to energize the Kitami economy, which was sagging from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to express appreciation to the medical workers facing daily struggles. It met with widespread popularity, and many people expressed a desire for the project to continue. Thus, in the 2021 fiscal year as well, it was successfully implemented again with 134 donations from organizations and individuals.

This year features approximately 80,000 light bulbs, which is approximately 23,000 more than last year, and an approximately 30-meter-long arch was added. A lighting ceremony was held on the evening of December 1. When the group headed by Planning Committee Head Kawai performed the countdown and pressed the button, blue, white, and pink lights all came on in unison.

A third year Kitami Fuji High School student who had fun taking pictures there with a friend commented, “There are even more lights than last year, and it is very beautiful. Passing by on the way home from school is going to be great.” Planning Committee Head Kawai reported, “We want to express our gratitude to medical care staff putting their lives on the line at work and also energize city residents who come to see it.”

The lighting will be on from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. until the end of January 2022.