Although Christmas in Japan isn’t an actual official holiday, Tokyo probably sports some of the most impressive displays of Christmas lights in the world. So enjoy these photos as you get into the holiday spirit – and if you’re in Tokyo, go check out these places in person, we promise it’s worth the effort!
Marunouchi Illumination close to Tokyo station. This was taken in the third week of November and the trees hadn’t yet lost their leaves, but in Tokyo it’s never too early to get into the Christmas spirit!
This was taken just outside Osaki station; distant, out of focus lights are reflected on the surface of a little pond, which makes them look like falling golden coins.
Caretta Shiodome illumination 2014: an amazing installation, with a light-show accompanied by music every 15 min or so. I don’t think they know one of the musical pieces is the same they always play in the immigration and passport control area at SFO ;)
The Japanese really like their sakura season – and they miss it so much by winter time that they decided to dress the cherry trees by the side of the Meguro river in pink lights, to make it look like they were blooming again.
An upside-down photo of the cherry trees dressed in pink lights, reflected in the Meguro river. Because of the long exposure, you can see little streaks of light as the water is flowing.
Nakameguro “cave of blue” illumination 2014.
Tokyo Midtown Illumination in Roppongi – a carpet of LEDs the size of a football field, seen through a window of a nearby mall. If you look closely, you’ll see both the inside of the mall reflected in the glass and the illumination outside.
The tunnel of blue lights at Shiodome.
Shiodome illumination: I was behind a curtain of LEDs, which appear out of focus in the foreground, and took a photo of this couple posing in front of the Christmas tree.