insights from frontier Japan

The ‘Shimokawa Ice Candle Museum’ was held at four locations in the town of Shimokawa in northern Hokkaido, including the town's ‘Nigiwai-no Hiroba’ (bustling square); the venues were wrapped in the warm glow created by a total of 3,500 candles.

From January 29 to February 5, the "Snow Candle Way" illuminated Jozankei Shrine (Minami-ku, Sapporo) after sunset with light from candles made of snow. Approximately one thousand lights bathed the silvery white shrine grounds in a magical glow.

On December 24, the Tourism Association of the town of Toyokoro in the Tokachi region of eastern Hokkaido illuminated the town’s symbolic Japanese elm tree with nine floodlights. The elm, which appears as a ‘beautiful goddess’ in Ainu mythology, appeared amid the darkness.

Projection mapping, in which light and images are projected onto buildings and snow-covered ground, began on December 17 at the Otaru Art Village and in front of JR Yoichi Station. The event, sponsored by Hokkaido Chuo Bus (Otaru), is held as part of the ‘Otaru-Yoichi Yuki Monogatari’ (snow story) winter tourism campaign, in which locals and tourists can enjoy magical scenery decorated with rainbow-colored lights.

The Lake Akan illuminations ‘Ten-en-no-Mori’ (Heavenly Garden Forest) have begun at a special venue next to the lakeside parking lot in Akanko Onsen in the city of Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido. Approximately 30,000 LEDs and the like are set to music to create a magical spectacle amid the winter forest in Akan.

The Otaru winter tradition "Otaru Snow Light Path" is back after a two-year absence, and is slated for February 11-13, 2022. To prevent COVID-19 spreading, the event will be held for a shorter period of three days, but the planning committee decided to go through with holding it at a reduced scale out of a desire to, "do something to hopefully bring back winter tourists who have been staying away due to the pandemic." However, in light of circumstances including the sudden global expansion of the new variant "Omicron" strain, the planning committee will make final decisions about issues including the scale towards the end of January 2022, with a keen eye on the developing situation.

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.

This year's installment has started for the annual tradition "Hoshi no Yume" (Dream of Stars) event, which lights up the nationally designated special historic site Goryokaku Remains in the city of Hakodate. On the evening of December 4, a commemorative firework show was held. When the decorative lights were turned on, a giant star shape made of light shone across the area, welcoming tourists together with the fireworks that brilliantly lit the night sky.

Hakodate's major winter event, 2021 Hakodate Christmas Fantasy, launched on December 1. Illumination also started up in areas spanning throughout Hakodate, wrapping the city in warm light.