OSAKA - Osaka's annual Midosuji Illumination began on November 3rd, lighting up approximately four kilometers of the city's main thoroughfare from Umeda to Namba with colorful displays celebrating the street's history as one of Osaka's most recognizable winter attractions.
Now in its 14th year, the event is the main attraction of the Osaka Festival of Lights, a series of illumination events held across Osaka Prefecture during the winter season.
This year's program commemorates the 90th anniversary of Midosuji's opening, which falls in 2027, with five distinct illumination zones representing different periods of the street's history from the 1940s to the present day.
Each section features its own lighting design, allowing visitors to experience changing colors and displays as they walk along the approximately four-kilometer route connecting Umeda and Namba, two of Osaka's busiest commercial districts.
Visitors expressed delight at the colorful displays. "It's incredibly beautiful, and it's so much fun just walking around," one spectator said. Another visitor, who had walked the entire route from Namba Station, said, "I walked all the way from Namba Station. It was really beautiful."
The Midosuji Illumination will be lit daily from around 5 p.m. and will continue through December 31st, offering residents and tourists nearly two months to enjoy one of Osaka's most popular winter traditions.
Source: YOMIURI
