In a season when it is still too early to call it spring, the Bikan Historical Area is illuminated by soft lights.
Kurashiki Shunsho Akari is a light-up event held in the Bikan Historical Area from mid-February to early March every year.
Lights glow in Japanese umbrellas and andon lanterns arranged throughout the town, where buildings from the Edo period remain, and a magical sparkle appears across the streets.
This spring, a high school student who will leave Kurashiki to attend university in Tokyo visited the Bikan Historical Area, illuminated in a variety of colors.
How will the lights illuminating the town where the student was born and raised appear to a high school student moving on to the next stage?
The information provided was current when this article was published in March 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Visiting Kurashiki Shunsho Akari
Kurashiki Shunsho Akari illuminates an Edo-period townscape with colorful lights.
This spring, a high school student leaving Kurashiki will walk through the Bikan Historical Area, dressed differently from usual.
What is Kurashiki Shunsho Akari?
Kurashiki Shunsho Akari is a light-up event held in the Bikan Historical Area from mid-February to early March every year.
Japanese umbrellas and andon lanterns are arranged throughout the Bikan Historical Area, casting a gentle light on the Edo-period townscape.
In 2023, the event was held from February 18 to March 12.
From sunset until 9 p.m., the Bikan Historical Area is adorned with lights of many colors.
A high school student leaving Kurashiki visits the Bikan Historical Area
This spring, a high school student heading to university in Tokyo visits the familiar tourist destination in their hometown, the Bikan Historical Area.
When the place where you live changes, the scenery that was always there becomes something out of the ordinary.
Even the familiar sights of the town where you were born and raised may look different from before.
Dressing to match the townscape
Dressing to match the Edo-period townscape is sure to lift your spirits.
Before dusk, when the town is illuminated, the place visited to get dressed was “Kimono Roman.”
It is a kimono rental and dressing specialist located in an alley in the Bikan Historical Area.
The choice was a pink kimono dotted with pastel-colored flowers.
A soft white obi was chosen to bring out the pink of the kimono.
A hair ornament was also chosen to match the kimono.
Even at a familiar local tourist destination, simply changing your outfit can make the experience feel out of the ordinary.
The townscape before the Japanese umbrellas light up
When the student finished getting dressed and set off for the Bikan Historical Area, the town was bathed in the evening sun.
Before the Japanese umbrellas arranged around town light up, the student enjoys the Bikan Historical Area dressed in a kimono.
Walking along the Kurashiki River
The first place reached after heading into the Bikan Historical Area was “Ohara Museum of Art,” Japan’s first private museum of Western art.
The museum was established in the Meiji period to display artworks collected on a tour of Europe by a Kurashiki businessman and a Western-style painter, around the time Kurashiki began to develop economically.
A museum ahead of its time continues to remind us of the importance of culture today.
The student began walking through the Bikan Historical Area one hour before sunset.
The Edo-period townscape sparkled in the orange glow of the setting sun.
Traditional houses lining the Kurashiki River are a signature sight of the Bikan Historical Area.
The student walks along the Kurashiki River while waiting for the Japanese umbrellas to light up.
A luxurious treat in a former tenryo town
The banks of the Kurashiki River, designated about 400 years ago as a tenryo, a domain under the direct control of the Edo shogunate, developed as a hub for the collection and distribution of goods.
Warehouses and residences remaining in this town that supported logistics during the Edo period are now used as restaurants and clothing shops.
In other words, savoring sweets while admiring the townscape of a former tenryo is one of the unique pleasures of the Bikan Historical Area.
At dusk, I rushed into a shop just before closing and came away with exceptionally adorable dango.
Savoring sweets amid a traditional townscape carefully passed down through generations is an utterly luxurious experience.
The Bikan Historical Area flourished as a logistics hub in the early modern period and is now a bustling commercial district.
Even these adorable dango have a story that reflects the changing times.
Illuminated by the evening lights
“Indigo Umbrella Lights” are on display at Kurashiki SOLA, a commercial complex in the Bikan Historical Area.
Kurashiki’s textile industry flourished from the Edo period, and from the Showa period onward, the city began producing domestically made jeans to meet society’s needs.
Indigo is the dye that gives jeans their deep blue color.
The blue patterns on the Japanese umbrellas also reveal Kurashiki’s history.
As I gazed at the indigo Japanese umbrellas, the sun had set.
I noticed that the orange glow had disappeared from the townscape that had been lit by the setting sun.
The light remaining in the sky softly illuminated the plaza where the Japanese umbrellas were lined up.
An Edo-period townscape adorned with lights
As the sun set and darkness spread across the town, the scenery of the Bikan Historical Area changed even more.
The Japanese umbrellas, which had glowed softly in the daylight, began to adorn the town with vivid colored light.
Walking along the Kurashiki River at dusk
The traditional buildings passed down through generations without being replaced by new ones amid the economic development of the early modern period are precious.
A rare scene found only in the Bikan Historical Area stretches out before you.
The extraordinary lighting made me rediscover the charm of a familiar scene.
The “Indigo Japanese Umbrella Lights” also took on a different appearance as dusk fell.
The light shining from within made the indigo more vivid, transforming the umbrellas into something with a refined appearance.
One of the best ways to enjoy Kurashiki Shunsho Akari is to watch the townscape change as time passes from dusk into evening.
Walk through town, sensing its history in the light spilling from the Japanese umbrellas, and you’ll be a true Kurashiki connoisseur.
What a Taisho-era building has to tell us
Among the buildings along the Kurashiki River, one charming structure catches the eye.
It was used as the Kurashiki Town Hall during the Taisho period and is now used as a tourist information center.
Built somewhat later than the Edo period, this building has a different presence from the surrounding houses, which is perhaps why it catches the eye of so many people.
Silhouettes are projected onto the windows of the former Kurashiki Town Hall.
I stopped in my tracks and gazed at the shadows cast by the gentle light.
Realizing I had been captivated by the shadow play, I started walking again.
As I reluctantly set off, I suddenly shifted my gaze to the building’s roof.
“The sky is a deep indigo. It looks beautiful against the retro building,” I said, voicing the scene before my eyes.
The end of winter is a season when anticipation and anxiety about a new life mingle.
Perhaps it was because this is the season when everyday life turns into something unfamiliar that even the ordinary color of the sky seemed beautiful.
When we notice something new about the things around us that we take for granted, what has actually changed is the heart of the person observing them.
The colorful lights that magically illuminate the familiar townscape also enriched my sensitivity to the things close at hand.
Lights illuminating a Meiji-era building
The Bikan Historical Area is home to many buildings that evoke the changing times.
Now used as accommodation, Kurashiki Ivy Square was built as a spinning mill during the Meiji period.
I also went to see the light displays on the Meiji-era building.
Inside the spinning mill
A distinctive feature of Kurashiki Ivy Square, built as a spinning mill during the Meiji period, is its brickwork, rarely seen in modern buildings.
The building, modeled on British factory designs of the time, evokes Japan’s history of striving for modernization.
The courtyard featured “Shunsho Andon,” with its charmingly glowing, colorful geometric patterns, and “Hanging Umbrella Lights,” whose three-dimensional display catches the eye.
Enjoying the Play of Light
The light passing through colored paper creates vivid hues in the “Shunsho Andon” lanterns.
Their uplifting colors make you want to move along with them.
It’s no wonder you can’t help but get carried away, surrounded by light in so many colors.
The vertically arranged “Hanging Umbrella Lights” let us take a close look at the patterns painted on the traditional Japanese umbrellas.
The light filtering through the paper stretched over the umbrellas creates a gentle impression.
The display created by the umbrellas and light, evoking culture and history, gave us a deep appreciation of Kurashiki’s charm.
In the Bikan Historical Area, buildings from the Edo, Meiji, and Taisho periods stand side by side, and you can sense the passage of time just by walking around.
The many colors of light shining from the umbrellas may symbolize the lives of people in each era.
After Seeing the Shunsho Akari
For people starting a new life in spring, the end of winter is a season when anticipation and anxiety are felt at the same time.
You may look forward to the life that lies ahead, while also feeling sad that your life up to now is coming to an end.
As I relate the unsettled state of my heart to changes in the temperature, sunlight, and trees, I find myself deeply feeling that ordinary everyday life was something irreplaceable.
Eight years ago, when I moved to Kurashiki and visited the Bikan Historical Area for the first time, what I happened to see was an Edo-period streetscape adorned with traditional Japanese umbrellas.
Having spent 28 years in the Tokyo metropolitan area, centered on Tokyo, one of the world’s leading cities, I had few opportunities to experience local culture and history.
I vividly remember how the light from the umbrellas, evoking culture and history, made me feel a sense of value I had never experienced before.
And now, comparing the 28 years I spent in the Tokyo metropolitan area with the eight years I have spent in Kurashiki, I have realized that both places have beautiful scenery.
From dusk to evening, from the Edo period to the present day, from Kurashiki to Tokyo.
As I gazed at the colorful lights shining like magic, I found my attention drawn to things that change over time. Perhaps it was because I was at the turning point between winter and spring.
I found myself pondering the meaning of streetscapes that reveal the passage of time being adorned with colorful light.
Perhaps it is precisely when moving on to a new stage, from winter to spring, that we realize the importance of ordinary things.
16th Kurashiki Shunsho Akari Information
| Name | 16th Kurashiki Shunsho Akari |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 18 (Sat)–March 12 (Sun), 2023 Lights on from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Location | Bikan Historical Area |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | 16th Kurashiki Shunsho Akari |
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