Osaka’s annual Lantern Night is the best place to celebrate Christmas this year. From December 17 to 19, you can head to Suminoe Park to help create a bit of festive artwork. Thousands of glowing lanterns will be launched into the night sky, and positioned to look like a Christmas tree with orange, green, blue and red coloured lanterns coming together to form branches and even tree ornaments.
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The lanterns are made by Starry Night Company, and they’re designed to be safer and more environmentally friendly than your typical paper lanterns. Each one of these is lit with LED lights instead of fire, and they’re attached to a thread with a weight at the end, so all the lanterns can be collected once the event is over. That's right – there's no waste.
There will be plenty to do at the park before and after the main event, too. At the Christmas market, you can shop for handmade goods, watch street performances and magic shows, and chow down on festive food. Children will also get an opportunity to meet and greet Santa Claus himself.
The event runs from 4pm to 9pm from December 17 to 19, and the lanterns are scheduled to be released at 8.30pm each night. You can purchase a single ticket for ¥4,500 (¥2,500 for children 6 to 12 years old), or get a discounted ticket for a group of four for ¥17,000. You can also opt for a ¥15,000 VIP ticket if you want to get into the priority lane and get access to the VIP area and bar lounge. Tickets must be purchased in advance via the booking site (Japanese only).
For more information, visit the Lantern Night Osaka website (Japanese only).
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