A world of illusions where even cultural heritages shine! Nabana no Sato's winter illuminations

A world of illusions where even cultural heritages shine! Nabana no Sato's winter illuminations
Rabbit
Rabbit 
Updated
| 3 min read

“Nabana no Sato” flower park is part of Nagashima Resort, located at the mouth of Nagaragawa river in Kuwana city, Mie prefecture. Created under the concept of a “dreamy small village around Nagaragawa river”, Nabana no Sato holds the largest scale winter illuminations in Japan every year and attracts plenty of tourists. I will introduce the breathtakingly beautiful world of illusions “Nabana no sato” through its most popular autumn and winter spots.

An amazing view of the cultural heritage Mt. Fuji!

a world of illusions where even cultural heritages shine! nabana no sato's winter illuminations | an amazing view of the cultural heritage mt. fuji!

Let me first introduce the main illuminations held every year under a different theme. In season 2013-2014 the main theme was “Congratulations for registering Mt Fuji as a World Cultural Heritage”. Mt Fuji is one of Japan’s pride symbols and the illuminations incorporated the wish for its unique impressive beauty to remain unchanged eternally in the future.

A 30-meter tall Mt Fuji, as tall as a 9-storey building, appears impressively over spacious grounds of over 26 000 square meters together with a representation of the rich nature around the actual mountain. A fascinating 7-minute light show depicts the seasonal changes of the beautiful fields, land and sea which surround Mt Fuji! That show is on constant repeat so you can enjoy it anytime.

The mystical Diamond Fuji!

a world of illusions where even cultural heritages shine! nabana no sato's winter illuminations | the mystical diamond fuji!

“Diamond Fuji” is the name of the natural optical phenomenon visible when the setting sun is on the top of Mt Fuji. It is rare and can be seen only several times per year. The light show creates a reproduction of that event. Enjoy the splendid moment when the sun is setting and Mt Fuji is shining as if a diamond has been placed on its top.

You can also see representations of other rare views of Fuji, like when it shines in golden color at moonlight or when the rising sun from the east turns it all red at dawn. Seasonal views like the spring’s sakura trees, the lush green in summer, the autumn colors and the blanket of snow in winter can also be enjoyed.

The shining tunnel called "Flower corridor"

a world of illusions where even cultural heritages shine! nabana no sato's winter illuminations | the shining tunnel called "flower corridor"

Let me introduce one of Nabana no Sato’s most popular spots, the light tunnel “Hanakairo” (Flower corridor). The tunnel is 200-meter long and entirely covered with light bulbs shining in warm colors. Its name comes from the flower-shaped sockets that every light bulb has. It’s not just a light tunnel, but a light flower field.

There is another light tunnel in the park as well. It’s called “Momiji” (Japanese maple tree) and has 100 meters of warm autumn color LED light bulbs. Definitely try walking through both tunnels and comparing their lights.

The beautiful pond Kagamiike under the illuminated autumn colors

a world of illusions where even cultural heritages shine! nabana no sato's winter illuminations | the beautiful pond kagamiike under the illuminated autumn colors

Nabana no Sato is a popular place not only for illuminations, but also for seeing beautiful autumn colors. There are about 310 maple trees of different sorts. You can enjoy the mystical view created by the illuminated beautiful autumn colors at night time.

Especially gorgeous is the view of the lights and the trees reflected by the surface of Kagamiike pond. The best period to see autumn colors is from mid-November till the end of December. If you have time, visit Nabana no Sato before sunset and fully enjoy the illuminations and the autumn colors.

A red bean soup with "Yasunaga mochi" rice cakes to warm you up

a red bean soup with "yasunaga mochi" rice cakes to warm you up

One of the delights of travelling is tasting local specialties. I will introduce the red bean soup “zenzai” with Yasunaga mochi sticky rice cakes that you can buy at most shops in Nabana no Sato.

Yasunaga mochi is the most famous local confectionary of Kuwana city in Mie prefecture. It is a long roasted rice cake with coarse sweet red bean paste inside. There are food stalls named Yasunaga mochi where you can buy the delicious red bean soup with freshly roasted rice cakes. It is a great way to warm up after getting cold from walking around the illuminations.

Yasunaga mochi are also sold in packages to buy as a souvenir. If you’ve enjoyed the gentle taste of the red bean soup, how about buying Kuwana city’s most famous confectionary as a souvenir gift?

You can enjoy the illuminations until end of March

The illuminations at Nabana no Sato can be enjoyed even after Christmas, until the end of March.

Around February and March already some flowers start blossoming. I recommend seeing the earliest flowers in the flower park at daytime and then the illuminations at evening time. Nabana no Sato is part of Nagashima Resort which also has accommodation facilities, hot springs and a theme park. It is an ideal place to spend a day with your family. Don’t you want to visit the largest scale illuminations in Japan?

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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