I am a Filipino living in Japan since May 18, 2012. For almost 5 years living here, I have been fascinated by how creative Japanese are on displaying different themes of winter illuminations, especially Christmas seasons. Though they are not celebrating Christmas like we used to in the Philippines, they have this exceptional way of making people feel the spirit of Christmas during this cold season.  My first winter illumination experience at Nabana no Sato in Kuwana, Mie, Japan was in 2014. I went with my family! We had to walk under a long tunnel of lights to witness the Mt. Fuji themed illumination show. It was winter break so I could hardly get any pretty pictures because the place was very crowded.

In winter 2015, I invited my mom from Philippines to celebrate Christmas with us here in Japan. I wanted her to experience the cold of winter and I wanted to see more winter illuminations! We had celebrated New Years Eve at my cousin’s place in Osaka City and we stayed for four nights. We visited lots of attractions and of course, the spectacular Namba Parks, located in Namba Walk, Osaka. They had illumination displays called “Namba Hikaritabi” meaning the Journey of Lights.

We also visited Lagunasia! Lagunasia is a Marine Theme Park, where you can have all you have ever wanted. Relaxation, adventure, entertainment, recreation , shopping , dining and more are set up in one place. It is a great place for good friends, families and couples. They had amazing 360 degree illuminations there!

Our next stop was Renaissance in Midosuji Osaka. The lights in front of city hall were beautiful! Lastly, we visited Den Park in Anjo, Japan. It is a very cozy place for family bonding. The kids enjoyed the shimmering lights accompanied by jolly Christmas songs. There were plenty of European foods being offered in street carts. There are a lot of winter illumination displays around Japan and visiting them all are on my bucket list. For now, I am happy with what I have seen!