Osaka Candle Night

This lovely display was in front of the Hilton in Osaka.

In front of luxious hotels on street level, but free to the public, thousands of candles were displayed across Nishi-Umeda in Osaka. The event, "Osaka Candle Night" began at 6:00pm, but the lights at various locations were turned off for two hours from 8:00pm-10:00pm, to provide a better atmosphere for appreciation.

What I really love about Osaka - or even Kansai, perhaps Japan in general - are that there are tons of events you can enjoy at little to no cost. Even though this event was absolutely free, it obviously took quite a bit of work to put together. Thousands of candles being set up all over Nishi-Umeda, and lots of artistic pieces giving artists chances to show off their work in candlelight was really fun to witness, along with seeing people smiling (which was what the Candle Night was intending to promote) and just enjoying candlelit views.

A young girl enjoying the gift of light.

People could buy candle jars and write their own message.

While being there, I couldn't help but feel that it was so festive and much like Christmas. To be honest, I've never seen such a display like this (even Nara's candle night was done a bit differently, as far as I remember) in my life. Seeing candles set up in a park compared to a city is rather different, I think - whereas this evening, it was interesting to see that, even if only for two hours, the source of light was relied on through candles than powered city lights.