By MOMOE HARANO/ Staff Writer
November 22, 2024 at 08:00 JST
Visitors flock to the “Galleria” corridor at Meriken Park in Kobe’s Chuo Ward on Jan. 19. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
KOBE--Kobe Luminarie, an annual event to commemorate the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, will be held from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2 on an expanded scale to mark the 30th anniversary of the disaster.
The iconic festival of light was first held in December 1995 to remember the more than 6,000 victims of the magnitude-7.3 temblor that hit that year on Jan. 17 and to pray for recovery in the affected areas.
In the first year, the festival attracted around 2.54 million visitors.
The event will be held under the theme of “30 years of light, the hope that shines through eternity,” according to the organizing committee.
The centerpiece of the event, the illuminated “Galleria” corridor, will be extended by about 10 meters and stretch for 79 meters.
Tickets will be required to enter, although other areas can be visited for free.
An 8-meter-tall “Rosone” installation will be set up for the first time at Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park inside Meriken Park.
Eight locations will be lit up along a route connecting JR Sannomiya Station and Meriken Park.
The “Spalliera” light installation to be set up in the Higashi Yuenchi park area will have a maximum height of 22 meters, about twice the size from this year.
Organizers said that about 400,000 light bulbs will be used for the entire Luminarie event, an increase of nearly 100,000.
The festival had been held annually in December, but the organizing committee moved it to January following cancellations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ease congestion, the committee also changed some venues and started charging admission to Galleria.
The paid area attracted about 150,000 spectators during the 10-day run early this year.
Tickets for assigned times are available at convenience stores or online for 500 yen ($3.30) on weekdays and 750 yen for weekends.
Group tickets cost 400 yen each on weekdays and 600 yen on weekends.
Tickets will be offered “at the door” if there are openings in the slot, sold for 1,000 yen on weekdays and 1,500 yen on weekends.
Admission is free for elementary school pupils or younger.
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