Every year in the month of February Nagasaki lights up with more than 15,000 thousand lanterns. This tradition was created by the Chinese residents in Nagasaki, a way to celebrate Chinese New Year, and today it is loved by the locals as well as a popular attraction among other visitors. During the lantern festival, you will be able to see thousands of lit-up lanterns as well as music and performances. The festival consists of lighting the lanterns, Mazu procession, Emperor’s parade, dragons dance, Chinese lion dance, acrobatic, and Erhu performances.
What is the Nagasaki Lantern Festival?
Every year for 15 days in February the city of Nagasaki celebrates the colorful Lantern Festival.
The festival also consists of:
Mazu procession – Chinese sea goddess Mazu is believed to protect her worshipers from all the sea threats and dangers, as well as brings them good luck, it is believed that she died while saving fishermen in the sea. During the festival a statue or a person dressed as Mazu is paraded through the city for the harmony and wellbeing of the citizens;
Emperors parade – the recreation of Qing Dynasty’s Emperor and Empress as well as 150 other paraders walking through the city and showing how the New Year’s Eve was celebrated during their ruling;
Dragons dance – performed for the clouds, to pray for a good harvest and rain. This dance has the famous 20-meter long dragon that walks through the streets of Nagasaki;
Chinese acrobatics – performed by the plate spinners and acrobats, as well as different musical performances by Erhu and Kokyu can be caught all around the city;
Bear in mind that the festival dates may change, usually the festival takes place at the end of January and 10 days in February from 17.00-22.00.
How to reach Nagasaki from Tokyo
In order to reach Nagasaki from Tokyo, you will need to take the JR Tokaido train from Fukuoka station and later on transfer to JR Kamome to Nagasaki. Your journey should take around 8 hours and should cost you 26,000 Yen or 225 Euros. If you wish to travel from Tokyo to Nagasaki we recommend obtaining the Japan Rail Pass which is a cost-effective train ticket that can be used for long-distance train travels anywhere in Japan.
The Pass can be obtained for one, two, or three weeks which is the perfect amount of time for you to visit the Nagasaki festival and even catch other destinations. All foreign visitors who have obtained a Japanese Tourist Visa are eligible to apply for a JR pass.
If you are on a time crunch you can also take a 45-minute flight from Tokyo Haneda airport and fly directly to Nagasaki in under an hour. Sometimes you can catch a great deal and book your ticket for less than 100 euros.
Once you are In Nagasaki you will need to reach the Nagasaki Chinatown at 10-13 Shinchimachi.
Best hotels in Nagasaki
As the Nagasaki Lantern festival will take place for 15 days you might want to book a hotel and enjoy it from the start till the end.
ANA Crowne Plaza – located in the Minamiyamate region and is only 5 minutes away from the Oura Tenshudo and Glover Park that are a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The hotel staff is fluent in English and even offers money exchange services.
How to get there – if you are coming from the airport we recommend taking a taxi or Nagasaki Ekimae bus.
Hotel JAL City – if you love shopping then this is the place for you, this hotel is located in Shinchi Chinatown where you can find close to anything.
How to get there – Hop off at the Nagasaki train station and take a 5-minute taxi ride or stroll through the city and spend 25 minutes on foot.
Unzen Shinyu – after a long day of walking you will be able to get a relaxing hot springs bath and enjoy a multi-course Japanese dinner – Kaiseki.
How to get there- get off at the Unzen Oyamano Johokan station and it will only take you 3 minutes to walk.
