Kairakuen, a famed Japanese garden in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, turns into a digital art event at night. (Kaede Sano)

Photo/Illutration Kairakuen, a tourist-popular Japanese garden, is lit up at night in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Kaede Sano)

MITO--A Japanese garden here known for its spectacular views of plum blossoms has added a luminous layer of charm for visitors after the sun goes down.

The digital art creators of teamLab Inc. have created eight works for nighttime viewing at Kairakuen in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, using lights and sounds and projecting images onto a bamboo forest.

The lights move according to people’s actions and illuminate about 1,500 plum trees in a concentric pattern. Egg-shaped objects set up in a cedar forest change colors when touched by visitors.

The nightly event, titled, “Digitized Kairakuen Garden,” was initially scheduled to open on Feb. 13 at Kairakuen, which is considered one of Japan’s three greatest gardens.

But because of the surge in novel coronavirus infections, the organizer postponed its opening until March 1.

Toshiyuki Inoko, who heads teamLab, described the garden as “very large and like an infinite labyrinth.”

“I want visitors to see the plum trees looking different from the daytime, feel the garden’s long history and be immersed in the experience,” he said.

The event is open from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and continue until March 31.

Admission is 1,500 yen ($14) for adults, 800 yen for junior high school students and older, and free for elementary school students and younger.

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