Winter illuminations and festivals in Japan, November 2026 to February 2027: dates, hours and fees

If columns are cut off, scroll sideways. Keyboard: focus the table, then use Left/Right Arrow keys.

If columns are cut off, scroll sideways. Keyboard: focus the table, then use Left/Right Arrow keys.

You're staying in Osaka and want to see Kobe Luminarie with two adults.

• Weekday, ticket bought in advance: Meriken Park paid area ¥500 × 2 = ¥1,000.
• Saturday, ticket bought in advance: ¥750 × 2 = ¥1,500.
• Saturday, ticket bought on the day: ¥1,500 × 2 = ¥3,000.

The rest of the event, at Higashi Yuenchi and in the former Foreign Settlement (旧居留地), needs no ticket. So the cheapest way to see it all is a weekday with advance tickets for Meriken Park; the most expensive is turning up on a weekend and buying on the spot. As of 19 October 2026, the organiser said paid-area ticket details would be announced in the autumn; it had chosen a ticket seller (announced on 7 October 2026) but had not yet published a sale date or sales outlets, and the 2027 lighting hours had not been stated officially.

Timing. The festival runs for ten days, from Friday 29 January to Sunday 7 February 2027, so it includes two weekends. The weekday evenings, Monday 1 to Thursday 4 February, are the ones to aim for (our judgement).

Marunouchi Illumination. Last season (2025–26) the Marunouchi street trees were lit from 13 November 2025 to 15 February 2026, 16:00–23:00, and to midnight in December, according to GO TOKYO. Viewing was free. The 25th Marunouchi Illumination runs from 12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027, with champagne-gold lights on the street trees along about 1.2 km of Marunouchi Naka-dori, according to the organisers' release of 17 September 2026. Daily hours and whether viewing stays free had not been announced as of 19 October 2026; the organisers said more details would follow in late October. It's a short walk from Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side, so it fits after a day trip back into Tokyo Station.

Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka. Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka (Tokyo) 5 November–25 December 2026, 17:00–22:00 (first day may differ), free to view.

Yomiuriland Jewellumination (Inagi, western Tokyo). The 2026–27 season runs from 29 October 2026 to 4 April 2027, 16:00–20:30, with hours varying by date, according to Yomiuriland. There are closure days, and on weekdays from 1 to 12 March 2027 the park opens in the daytime only, so there is no evening illumination on those days. It's inside the amusement park, so you pay park admission: an entry-only ticket is ¥1,800 for adults and ¥1,000 for primary-school children (¥1,600 and ¥800 online), and the After Pass, valid from 15:00 on Jewellumination days with unlimited rides except the Ferris wheel and a few other attractions, is ¥3,100 for adults (¥2,800 online). The park says closure days, hours and prices may change, so check its daily calendar before you go.

A note on the street illuminations. Because these are in public streets and shopping districts, there's no ticket, queue system or capacity limit, and crowds are heaviest on weekends in December and on 24–25 December (our judgement). Stay to one side of the pavement when stopping for photos.

Sources for this section: Mitsubishi Estate and partners: Marunouchi Illumination 2026 (17 September 2026, Japanese PDF) · Yomiuriland: Jewellumination 2026 Growing Light (25 August 2026, Japanese PDF) · Yomiuriland: prices and tickets (Japanese)

Osaka Festival of the Lights 2026. The Osaka Prefectural Government announced the 2026 programme on 24 September 2026. The festival runs from 3 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 across the city, with two core programmes:

• Midosuji Illumination 2026: 3 November–31 December 2026 (59 days), about 17:00–25:00, along Midosuji between the Hanshin-mae and Namba-nishiguchi crossings. The lighting ceremony is on 23 November 2026, 17:00–19:00, when part of Midosuji (Yodoyabashi to Senba Chuo 3-chome) is closed to traffic and opened to pedestrians.
• OSAKA Hikari-Renaissance 2026: core venues 11–25 December 2026 (15 days) around Nakanoshima. The Osaka Central Public Hall projection mapping runs 17:30–21:30, with a show roughly every 12 minutes and the last show from 21:20; the prefecture's release gives the length of each show as about 7 to 10 minutes. The Osaka City Hall façade illumination and the Nakanoshima Illumination Street (about 150 m of zelkova trees) run 3 November–31 December, 17:00–25:00.

The prefecture's release doesn't mention admission charges; the illuminations are on public streets and in public spaces. For crowd-free photos of Midosuji, the late evening, after 22:00, is the time to go (our judgement).

The 32nd edition runs from Friday 29 January to Sunday 7 February 2027 across three areas: Higashi Yuenchi, the former Foreign Settlement and Meriken Park.

Paid area tickets (Meriken Park only):

If columns are cut off, scroll sideways. Keyboard: focus the table, then use Left/Right Arrow keys.

The artwork details were due to be announced around October 2026, according to Kobe City's release of 29 May 2026. Lighting hours for 2027 were not stated officially as of 19 October 2026.

The 2027 Sapporo Snow Festival runs from Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027 (11 February is a public holiday) at all three sites:

• Odori site (Odori Park): large snow sculptures across the city centre; lit until 22:00.
• Susukino site: ice sculptures in the entertainment district. The detailed 23:00 lighting time (22:00 on the last day) appears in earlier 2026 material; this guide has not verified the 2027 Susukino lighting hours.
• Tsudome site: snow slides and family activities, in north-east Sapporo. The 2027 venue period block lists 10:00–16:00; attraction entry may close earlier when busy. Sakaemachi is on the Toho subway line; earlier access guidance describes a shuttle or about a 15-minute walk, but this guide has not verified the 2027 shuttle timetable or fares.

The official FAQ says the average February temperature in Sapporo is −2.3°C and recommends anti-slip grips for your shoes: about ¥1,000 at the official shop on the Odori site, at nearby convenience stores and at JR and subway station kiosks. For the 2026 festival, a luggage storage point opened inside Odori subway station (¥1,000 per item, same-day collection only); the 2027 arrangements had not been announced as of 19 October 2026.

Hotels in Sapporo fill up early for festival week. If you can't find a room, stay in Otaru or near New Chitose Airport and travel in by JR (our judgement).

Are Japan's winter illuminations free? Most street illuminations are. Marunouchi was free to view last season, and Midosuji and Nakanoshima are on public streets. Kobe Luminarie charges only for the Meriken Park paid area (¥500–¥1,500). Illuminations inside theme parks, such as Yomiuriland's, need park admission.

When are the Tokyo illuminations announced? Usually in the autumn. Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka (Tokyo) runs 5 November–25 December 2026, 17:00–22:00 (first day may differ), free to view. Marunouchi Illumination 2026 runs from 12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027; its daily hours were due to be announced in late October.

Is Kobe Luminarie in December? Not this season. The 32nd edition runs from 29 January to 7 February 2027, so plan a late-January or early-February trip if you want to see it.

How cold is it at the Sapporo Snow Festival? The festival's FAQ gives the average February temperature as −2.3°C. Wear warm layers, gloves, a hat and boots with grip, and add anti-slip grips if your shoes don't have them.

What's the least crowded time to see illuminations? Weekday evenings at lighting-up time are our general suggestion. After 21:00 is an option only for street illuminations still operating that evening (our judgement), not for every venue. Check paid parks' daily closing and last-admission times; this guide has not verified a single last-admission time for Yomiuriland. Avoid Saturday evenings and 24–25 December in Tokyo. For general crowd timing, see avoiding crowds in Japan and the 2027 crowd calendar.

Match your dates to the calendar table above. If you overlap with Kobe Luminarie, buy Meriken Park tickets in advance for a weekday; if you overlap with the Sapporo Snow Festival, book your Sapporo hotel this month. For Tokyo, use the announced Roppongi (5 November–25 December) and Marunouchi (12 November–14 February) dates above; Marunouchi's daily hours were due in late October.

If columns are cut off, scroll sideways. Keyboard: focus the table, then use Left/Right Arrow keys.

Sources checked on 12 October 2026; Roppongi, GO TOKYO, Kobe ticket-sale status and Sapporo year boundaries were rechecked on 16 October 2026, and Marunouchi and Yomiuriland on 19 October 2026. Marunouchi's 2026–27 hours, 2027 Susukino lighting hours and Tsudome shuttle details remain unverified here.

1. Osaka Prefectural Government, Osaka Festival of the Lights 2026 programme (release of 24 September 2026, Japanese): https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/hodo/fumin/o070080/prs_51250.html
2. Kobe City, 32nd Kobe Luminarie dates and paid area (release of 29 May 2026, Japanese): https://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/a64051/284690987078.html
3. Kobe Luminarie official site (Japanese): https://kobe-luminarie.jp/
4. Sapporo Snow Festival, Odori site and 2027 dates (Japanese): https://www.snowfes.com/sites/odori/ and https://www.snowfes.com/
5. Sapporo Snow Festival, FAQ (Japanese): https://www.snowfes.com/faq/
6. Sapporo City, request to the Ground Self-Defense Force for the 77th festival (25 August 2026, Japanese): https://www.city.sapporo.jp/city/mayor/motion/2026/0825.html
7. GO TOKYO (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau), Marunouchi Illumination 2025 (Japanese): https://www.gotokyo.org/jp/spot/ev002/index.html
8. Mori Building, Roppongi Hills Christmas 2025 release, as republished: https://san-tatsu.jp/pressrelease/462615/
9. Mori Building, Roppongi Hills Christmas 2026 release of 30 September 2026, as republished: https://san-tatsu.jp/pressrelease/558251/
10. Yomiuriland, Jewellumination (Japanese): https://www.yomiuriland.com/jewellumination/
11. GO TOKYO, Yomiuriland Jewellumination 2026 listing (Japanese; dates and hours only, not a park-direct price check): https://www.gotokyo.org/jp/spot/ev136/index.html
12. Mitsubishi Estate and partners: Marunouchi Illumination 2026 (17 September 2026, Japanese PDF): https://www.mec.co.jp/event_campaign/mjpm260917_marunouchi_bright_holiday/e6b1aefc7c960ff2bddef2f666b64b49.pdf
13. Yomiuriland: Jewellumination 2026 Growing Light (25 August 2026, Japanese PDF): https://yomiuriland.co.jp/news/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260825_release.pdf
14. Yomiuriland: prices and tickets (Japanese): https://www.yomiuriland.com/charge/

The rules in this guide come from the official pages below. Japan, Booked. does not book or submit requests on your behalf.

• Osaka Prefectural Government, Osaka Festival of the Lights 2026 programme (release of 24 September 2026, Japanese)
• Kobe City, 32nd Kobe Luminarie dates and paid area (release of 29 May 2026, Japanese)
• Kobe Luminarie official site (Japanese)
• Sapporo Snow Festival, Odori site and 2027 dates (Japanese)
• Sapporo Snow Festival, FAQ (Japanese)
• Sapporo City, request to the Ground Self-Defense Force for the 77th festival (25 August 2026, Japanese)
• GO TOKYO (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau), Marunouchi Illumination 2025 (Japanese)
• Mori Building, Roppongi Hills Christmas 2026 release of 30 September 2026, as republished
• Yomiuriland, Jewellumination (Japanese)
• GO TOKYO, Yomiuriland Jewellumination 2026 listing (Japanese)
• Mitsubishi Estate and partners: Marunouchi Illumination 2026 (17 September 2026, Japanese PDF)
• Yomiuriland: Jewellumination 2026 Growing Light (25 August 2026, Japanese PDF)
• Yomiuriland: prices and tickets (Japanese)