Chinese Lantern Festival

Chinese New Year kicks off this year on February 5, with the 15 days of celebration that follow referred to as the Spring Festival. Barring hopping on a plane to China, Yokohama’s Chinatown is easily the best place to celebrate. The Lantern Festival marks the final day of the Spring Festival, with strings of paper lanterns decking the streets, upon which messages of hopes and dreams for the new year are written.