The Japanese love their winter illuminations. Some illumination would end on Christmas Day, however others extend up until late February or even March. And if you are visiting Japan during this time, I would highly recommend planning a trip to one of the ridiculously gorgeous winter illumination spots.
My favourite so far has to be Nabana no Sato (なばなの里) in Nagashima, Mie prefecture.
During the day (and for most of the year), Nabana no Sato is a garden / theme park, that’s about 1/2 hour away from Nagoya. But during winter evenings, it transforms into this magical light fest where thousands of local and international tourists would flock to.
We took the shinkansen (on a 7-day JR Pass) from Yokohama to Nagoya. Just make sure you sit on the right hand side of the train, because you won’t want to miss the beautiful view of Mount Fuji!
And from Nagoya, we took the highway bus that stopped right in front of Nabana no Sato.
The entrance ticket costs ¥2000 per person, which includes ¥1000 voucher to spend on food in the premises.
Once we have purchased our tickets (at the front gate), our journey into the light began.
Every tree, stream of water, walkway, and bridge was illuminated. It was so beautiful, I pretty much had to stop myself from taking too many photos (behind the camera and also in front of it).
There were many different areas to explore, with bridges and pathways connecting one area to the other.
There was even a small area where you can soak your feet (and hands), in an onsen style foot bath. We were wearing full winter gear and I doubt soaking my stockings in the water would be a good idea, so we skipped this bit.
After walking around a mini garden all lit up in blue, we encountered a lake where you could see various areas of Nabana no Sato, plus the lake itself was lit up as well.
That round orbit looking thing is a rotating observation deck, but the queue was too long to get on it, plus we had to pay extra.
There was even a chapel area where, I assume, people could get marry in. Everything was illuminated and it really was a feast to our eyes.
But we also had another feast because we were getting hungry! There were a number of restaurants to choose from, we picked a traditional udon/soba restaurant.
Once we were full, it was time to explore the next part – the main course, if I was to name it – of Nabana no Sato’s winter illumination…
Here we go… One of the main attractions of Nabana no Sato would have to be the tunnel of light. I’ve seen it in photos, and this was the reason for my visit. It was even more magical in real life!
I didn’t really want to leave the tunnel, to be honest. Because it was too pretty. But every good thing must end, right?!
It was then when we encountered Mount Fuji. Yup. It wasn’t something I expected to see, because (I think) each year they have a different theme… So the photos I had seen were from the year before, and there was no Fujiyama then.
A lovely captivating tune looped in the background as Mount Fuji changed its colour from season to season. We saw the summer green trees, the red autumn feel, the cherry blossoms, and of course the cold winter Mount Fuji in all its glory. It was hypnotising.
After standing there with hundreds of people, we decided that it was time to move on (plus it was freezing).
If you think there was only one tunnel of light, you were mistaken. On our way back, we saw another tunnel… This one was covered in red lights, as if we were going through a baptism of fiery cherry blossoms.
Amazing! Even though I remember complaining a little about how we had to pay ¥2000 for the entrance fee, at the end of the night, I think that was worth it. I mean, you don’t get to experience something so magical like this every day, right?!
We left Nabana no Sato with the same Mount Fuji tune still ringing in our heads… And with lots of illuminated photos and romantic memories to keep us happy!
Nabana no Sato is open all year round. The winter illumination starts at the end of October until end of March. Seriously, go!