Kobe Luminarie 2010

Date:   11 December 2010

Place:  Kobe, Japan

My Travel Info:

         Titanic, Pearl Harbour, Hiroshima and Chernobyl. What linked up these names? They were not related but all these massive catastrophes left ''deep impact" and nightmare among  survivals with such a great loss of their loves.

          Reflecting those tragedies is not my intention to discuss further.  However, it merely  regarded to today's entry  which recorded my travel to the festival of Kobe Luminarie 2010. Although it is not like as the great aftermath of Hiroshima-Nagasaki, I felt lucky had a chance to join such memorial event in Japan. Actually, this festival was known as remembering the recent past earthquake in Kobe, on 1995. 

           It's truly unique and symbolic event! I never saw such memorial festival like a light festival for commemorating the victims of the Great Hanshin earthquake. They might believe such glittering event could lighten up the spirit of earthquake victims. So, every year on December, the light  festival held in Kobe, Japan. Based on Luminarie webpage, the lights were donated by the Italian Government and the installation itself is produced by Valerio Festi and Hirokazu Imaoka.

          The Luminarie held in Kobe city where it located from Motomatchi through to Sannomiya, one street is illuminated with thousands of lights in ornate styles that look simply stunning.  The lights are turned on for a few hours each night for a period of two weeks and thousands of people stroll under the lights. Along the streets, many stalls were selling Luminarie souvenirs, takoyaki, and some of them presenting cultural dances and songs. Of course, I am dreaming to experience Hiroshima-Nagasaki memorial ceremony next time.

 

Kobe Luminarie 2010