# When Are Japan's Winter Illuminations in 2026–27, and Which Ones Are Free? > Japan illuminations 2026–27: Osaka's Midosuji 3 Nov–31 Dec, Marunouchi 12 Nov–14 Feb, Kobe Luminarie 29 Jan–7 Feb. Most are free; official hours and prices. - Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-winter-illuminations-2026-2027-tokyo-osaka-kobe-dates - Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from a 526-day trip across 20 countries) - Published: 2026-10-21 As of 21 October 2026, the main winter illuminations in the Japanese cities we have covered have announced their dates: Osaka's **Midosuji Illumination runs 3 November – 31 December 2026**, Tokyo's **Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka 5 November – 25 December** and **Marunouchi 12 November 2026 – 14 February 2027**, and **Kobe Luminarie 29 January – 7 February 2027**. Most of them are street displays you can walk through **for free**. The exceptions are Kobe Luminarie's paid Meriken Park zone (**¥500 to ¥1,500**) and Takayama's Hida no Sato folk village (**¥300**). Below are the official dates and hours for each event, what is still unannounced, the best nights to go and how to string several into one winter trip. We travelled through all six cities in spring 2023, during cherry blossom season, so this is a planning page built from the organisers' own announcements, not a report from the illuminations. ## 2026–27 dates at a glance • **Osaka, Midosuji Illumination:** 3 Nov – 31 Dec 2026, about 17:00 to 1:00, free • **Tokyo, Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka:** 5 Nov – 25 Dec 2026, 17:00 to 22:00, free • **Tokyo, Marunouchi Illumination:** 12 Nov 2026 – 14 Feb 2027, hours not yet announced, free • **Osaka, Hikari Renaissance (Nakanoshima):** 11 – 25 Dec 2026, projection mapping 17:30 to 21:30, free • **Matsumoto Castle projection mapping:** 12 Dec 2026 – 14 Feb 2027, 18:00 to 22:00 • **Takayama, Hida no Sato winter light-up:** 9 Jan – 28 Feb 2027, 17:30 to 20:30, ¥300 (listed by Gifu Prefecture's tourism site; see below) • **Kobe Luminarie:** 29 Jan – 7 Feb 2027, hours not yet announced, free except the paid Meriken Park zone • **Kanazawa, Kenroku-en and Kanazawa Castle winter light-up:** 6–10, 13, 20 and 27 Feb 2027 (planned), 18:00 to 21:00, free Not yet announced as of 21 October 2026: Marunouchi's hours, Kobe Luminarie's hours and advance-ticket sales, the start of Kenroku-en's *yukitsuri* snow-rope work, and the dates of Matsumoto's ice sculpture festival. ## Tokyo: Marunouchi and Roppongi Hills **Marunouchi Illumination** (its 25th year) lights the street trees along about **1.2 km of Marunouchi Naka-dori**, the avenue between Tokyo Station and Yurakucho, in champagne gold from **12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027**. The organising committee (Chiyoda Ward, Mitsubishi Estate and the area management groups) has not yet published 2026 hours. Last season it was listed at roughly 16:00 to 23:00, running later in December; treat that as the old pattern, not this year's times. **Roppongi Hills** runs its **Keyakizaka Illumination** from **5 November to 25 December 2026, 17:00 to 22:00**: about 970,000 LEDs along roughly 400 m of Keyakizaka-dori, with Tokyo Tower at the end of the slope. Smaller displays at 66 Plaza (13 Nov – 27 Dec, to midnight) and Mohri Garden (13 Nov – 25 Dec, to 23:00) and the German-style **Christmas market** at Oyane Plaza (21 Nov – 25 Dec, 11:00 to 21:00) run alongside. Hours can change on crowded nights, and the first day may start later. Both are public streets, so there is no ticket. Marunouchi is a few minutes' walk from Tokyo Station, which makes it an easy first or last evening if you arrive by Shinkansen. ## Osaka and Kobe Luminarie The **Osaka Festival of Lights** (*Osaka Hikari no Kyoen*) officially runs **3 November 2026 to 31 January 2027**, but its two core programmes end in December. The **Midosuji Illumination** covers the main boulevard from Hanshin-mae to the Namba Nishiguchi junction, **3 November to 31 December, from about 17:00 to 1:00**. On **23 November** (a holiday) a lighting ceremony closes part of Midosuji to traffic from 17:00 to 19:00. **OSAKA Hikari Renaissance** on Nakanoshima island is shorter: projection mapping on the **Osaka City Central Public Hall** runs **11 to 25 December, 17:30 to 21:30**, a roughly 10-minute show every 12 minutes, while the City Hall facade and the 150 m tunnel of lit zelkova trees on Nakanoshima run **3 November to 31 December, 17:00 to 1:00**. The Osaka Prefecture announcement lists no admission fee for any of these. **Kobe Luminarie**, the illuminated arches first held in 1995 in memory of the Great Hanshin earthquake, returns for its 32nd edition from **29 January to 7 February 2027** at **Meriken Park, Higashi-Yuenchi park and the former Foreign Settlement**. Most of it is free to walk through, but entering the **paid zone in Meriken Park** needs a special viewing ticket: **¥500 on weekdays and ¥750 at weekends in advance**, or **¥1,000 and ¥1,500 on the day** (groups ¥400 and ¥600). The organiser says ticket sale details come out in autumn; as of 21 October 2026 they are not yet published, and neither are the 2027 hours. Last edition the lights ran from dusk to 21:30 and paid-zone tickets were sold in time slots between 17:30 and 21:30. Kobe is about 20 to 30 minutes from Osaka by train, so Luminarie works as an evening trip from an Osaka base. ## Kanazawa, Takayama and Matsumoto **Kanazawa:** the winter edition of the *Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en Four Seasons* light-up is planned for **6–10, 13, 20 and 27 February 2027**, **18:00 to 21:00** (last entry 20:45), with **free entry** to both the castle park and Kenroku-en during the lighting, according to Ishikawa Prefecture's tourism site. Both close from 17:00 to 18:00 to set up, and nights can be cancelled for bad weather or icy paths. The draw is the **yukitsuri**, the cone-shaped rope frames that protect the pines from snow. The 2026 work notice is not yet out; last year the gardeners started on **1 November 2025 at 9:00** with the Karasaki pine and planned to finish by **mid-December**, so the ropes are up all winter. **Takayama:** Gifu Prefecture's official tourism site lists the **Hida no Sato winter light-up** for **9 January to 28 February 2027, 17:30 to 20:30**, at **¥300 for adults and ¥100 for children**. Hida no Sato (Hida Folk Village) is the open-air museum of thatched farmhouses on the edge of town. As of 21 October 2026 the village's own site still shows last season (10 January to 28 February 2026, every day of the period), so confirm before you build a trip around a specific night. **Matsumoto:** the city's organising committee has set the **Matsumoto Castle projection mapping** for **12 December 2026 to 14 February 2027, 18:00 to 22:00**, in the castle park. Last season (13 December 2025 to 15 February 2026) it was free and needed no booking. The castle's **ice sculpture festival** has **not yet announced 2027 dates**; in recent years it has run on the last weekend of January (23–25 January in 2026). We came through Matsumoto, Takayama and Kanazawa in late March 2023. Our [10-day Japan itinerary](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-itinerary-10-days-tokyo-alps-kyoto-osaka) runs Tokyo, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Osaka, and the [Kanazawa guide](https://clevertourists.com/guides/kanazawa) covers Kenroku-en and the castle by day. ## Best nights to go, crowds and costs • **Weekdays beat weekends** everywhere, and at Kobe Luminarie the paid zone is half price on weekdays (¥500 vs ¥750 in advance). • **Avoid 24 and 25 December** in Tokyo if you dislike crowds: Christmas Eve is a date night in Japan and Roppongi and Marunouchi are at their busiest. • **Arrive just after lighting starts.** Most displays switch on between 17:00 and 18:00, and the first hour is usually calmer than 19:00 to 21:00. • **Kenroku-en's best run is 6 to 10 February**, the only consecutive nights; the rest are single Saturdays. Snow is common in Kanazawa in February but never guaranteed. • **Budget:** apart from Kobe's paid zone and Hida no Sato's ¥300, every event here is free to see. The real costs are hotels near Christmas and in Kobe during Luminarie, which fill early. ## Fitting the illuminations into a winter trip **Mid-November to Christmas:** the easiest window. Tokyo (Marunouchi and Roppongi) and Osaka (Midosuji and Nakanoshima) all overlap from **12 November to 25 December**, and from 12 December you can add Matsumoto's projection mapping on the way between the two. **Late January to mid-February:** the most events at once. **Kobe Luminarie (29 Jan – 7 Feb)**, **Kenroku-en (from 6 Feb)**, **Hida no Sato (from 9 Jan)**, **Matsumoto (to 14 Feb)** and **Marunouchi (to 14 Feb)** all overlap around **6 and 7 February 2027**. A route of Tokyo, Matsumoto, Takayama, Kanazawa and Osaka/Kobe catches all of them; Osaka's Midosuji lights will be gone by then. In the Japanese Alps, mountain roads and buses between Matsumoto, Takayama and Kanazawa can be disrupted by snow, so keep a spare day and check winter timetables. If winter doesn't fit your dates, our [2027 cherry blossom forecast](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-cherry-blossom-2027-forecast-tokyo-kyoto-guide) covers the spring version of the same route. ## Frequently asked questions ### When do Japan's winter illuminations start in 2026? Osaka's Midosuji Illumination starts on 3 November 2026, Roppongi Hills on 5 November and Marunouchi in Tokyo on 12 November. Kobe Luminarie comes later, from 29 January to 7 February 2027. ### What are the Kobe Luminarie 2027 dates and ticket prices? 29 January to 7 February 2027. It is free except the paid zone in Meriken Park: ¥500 weekdays and ¥750 weekends in advance, or ¥1,000 and ¥1,500 on the day. As of 21 October 2026 the hours and advance-sale details are not yet announced. ### Are Japan's winter illuminations free? Most are. Midosuji and Nakanoshima in Osaka, Marunouchi and Roppongi in Tokyo, and Kenroku-en's winter light-up are free. Kobe Luminarie's Meriken Park zone and Takayama's Hida no Sato light-up (¥300) charge. ### When is the Marunouchi Illumination 2026? 12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027 along Marunouchi Naka-dori near Tokyo Station. The 2026 lighting hours had not been published as of 21 October 2026. ### When is the Kenroku-en winter light-up in 2027? It is planned for 6–10, 13, 20 and 27 February 2027, 18:00 to 21:00 with last entry at 20:45, and entry is free during the lighting. ### When is the Matsumoto Castle ice sculpture festival 2027? Not yet announced as of 21 October 2026. In recent years it has been held on the last weekend of January (23–25 January in 2026). The castle's projection mapping runs 12 December 2026 to 14 February 2027. ## Official sources - [Osaka Prefecture: Osaka Festival of Lights 2026 announcement](https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/hodo/fumin/o070080/prs_51250.html) - [Osaka Festival of Lights (official site)](https://www.hikari-kyoen.com/) - [Roppongi Hills Christmas 2026 (official site)](https://www.christmas.hills-site.com/) - [Kobe Luminarie (official site)](https://kobe-luminarie.jp/) - [Ishikawa Prefecture tourism: Kenroku-en winter light-up](https://www.hot-ishikawa.jp/event/detail_22104.html) - [Gifu Prefecture tourism: Hida no Sato winter light-up](https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/event/detail_3323.html) - [Matsumoto Castle projection mapping 2026–2027 (Matsumoto City release)](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000018.000070080.html)