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Odaiba TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOV'T

Monday 20th July, 05:00 PM JST

Paper lanterns containing candles light up Odaiba Kaihin Park as part of the Festival of Seaside Lights to celebrate Marine Day on Sunday night. The two-day “pageant of light” uses paper lanterns with an Olympic campaign design.

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7 Comments

  • noborito at 07:43 PM JST - 20th July

    Sorry but this looks so junky. Again Japan tried to copy a good idea from the West but simply miss the point. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminaria

    I hope someone recycles those bags, but i expect they will simply be blown into the bay.

  • cleo at 08:08 PM JST - 20th July

    Mmm, might be pretty from a distance but close up it just looks like a load of crumply paper bags with candles in them.

    But I don't think this is a copy of a Western idea. Japan has a long tradition of floating candles/lanterns on rivers usually as a part of the OBon rituals, and I think it's more likely the idea comes from that. (If anything, it's a copy of a very old Chinese idea) According to Wiki, local authorities are banning the tradition of floating the lanterns off down the rivers and out to sea because of the pollution it causes. Hopefully these bags will be picked up off the sand when the candles go out.

  • Sarge at 10:49 PM JST - 20th July

    I like this photo. JT, can you make it any bigger?

  • junkface at 11:05 PM JST - 20th July

    I would guess that the bags are bio degradable =P ... Either way, the picture looks beautiful... serene..

  • PoolofZen at 12:05 AM JST - 21st July

    Probably LED lights inside the bags.... otherwise, someone would be running around lighting them all the time.... Then again... this is Japan.

  • OhioDonna at 03:18 AM JST - 21st July

    Beautiful!

  • combinibento at 07:16 AM JST - 21st July

    Well played, Noborito! Well played.

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