Lantern Festivals Light Up the Evening Skies
Festivals in Japan present their most magical faces after dark, and the enchanting glow of paper lanterns is a key part of many events. We take a look at three leading festivals where the thousands of lanterns on display are a major part of the festivities.
Evening sets in and festival music begins to play, signaling the lighting of chōchin lanterns. One by one, hundreds of candles illuminate towers and floats, creating a picturesque festival atmosphere. Lanterns, originally part of rites from the Heian period, were introduced to Japan from China and later popularized during the Edo period with improved candles. Today, lanterns are mostly equipped with lightbulbs but remain essential for midsummer bon observances.
Lanterns are viewed as signposts guiding ancestral spirits to their homes. They are donated to communities at festivals to show gratitude to deities, with flickering flames resembling spirits. Three magnificent night festivals in the Tōhoku region—Akita Kantō Matsuri, Sendai Tanabata Matsuri, and Aomori Nebuta Matsuri—continue the candlelit tradition. These festivals originated as summer ceremonies to ward off evil, with misfortunes transferred to paper decorations and lanterns washed away in rivers and the sea.
The Akita Kantō Matsuri is particularly renowned for its kantō bamboo frames, adorned with arrays of lanterns and topped by gohei wooden poles. Bearers perform acrobatic moves as an offering to the deity, transferring impurities and misfortunes to the gohei, which are then set adrift in rivers. Over 10,000 lanterns will illuminate the evening sky, creating an unforgettable scene.
The event, held on the fourth Saturday and Sunday of July in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture, honors Susanoo no Mikoto, a deity of pestilence syncretized with the Indian god Gozu Tennō. Prayers are made for good health and harvests, and lanterns reflect on the waters, creating an enchanting fantasy atmosphere.
Written by urgent.news from Nippon.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.