#Illumination

Probably the most spectacular light show in Tokyo is the Starlight Garden in the Roppongi neighbourhood. Around 190,000 LEDs create a colourful animation across about 2,000 m² of grass. As a special treat this year, there are also smoke-filled soap bubbles.

Words can’t really describe the spectacle. And even the video only gives you a hint of just how gorgeous this light show looks.

Sadly, it was super packed. The stewards were asking people over megaphones not to stop walking, but honestly, nobody listened to them… 😆

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Today we took it easy wandering through Tokyo. In the Asakusa district, we first visited the Senso-ji. The temple is a must-do on our itinerary every time we visit Tokyo.

After that, we popped into a little gallery where artists were exhibiting miniatures and photos of miniature worlds.

There’s another German Christmas market by the Tokyo Skytree. It’s really small, though, with the selection pretty much limited to mulled wine (more of a mulled punch really), crêpes, beer and bratwurst. But to make up for it, a Japanese a cappella group was singing their songs by the Christmas tree.

The Rikugien landscape garden offered a nice bit of Momiji vibe in the evening light. After sunset, the park gets lit up with spotlights, giving you a completely different view of nature.

A quick run-through of the must-see Ōsaka programme. We visited the Keitakuen garden, where we encountered a bit of autumn foliage colour once again. In the neighbouring Shitenno-ji temple, we were able to view a pagoda from the inside. Afterwards, we went to the food and entertainment strip Dotonbori in the Namba district and finished off our sightseeing at Ōsaka Castle.

Just before sunset, we took a look at the Umeda skyline with the Sky Building from the roof of the main station. After that, we admired the first winter illumination of this trip. On Midosuji Street, the trees are decorated with thousands of colourful fairy lights. The festival of lights stretches for several kilometres down the street all the way to Namba.

We really liked Ōsaka. Tomorrow, unfortunately, we’re already off to the last stop of our trip in the capital, Tōkyō.