Senso-ji Projection Mapping 2026 Ran Until November 3; Large Votive Paintings and the Kanbun Engi Scroll on the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate, Free to View

“ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026,” which projected video onto the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate of Senso-ji Temple (Taito City, Tokyo), was held for five days from Friday, October 30 to Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday), with projections from 18:00 to 21:30; viewing was free and no advance registration was required. Under the theme of Senso-ji’s 1,400 years of history and culture, the videos used motifs such as the temple’s large votive paintings (ema), the illustrated scroll of the temple’s origins known as the Kanbun Engi, and ukiyo-e prints associated with Senso-ji. According to the organizer, this second edition marked the first projection ever on the Main Hall.

*Disclosure: “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

In its second year, the projection expands from the Hozomon Gate to the Main Hall

At the first edition in 2025, video was projected onto the Hozomon Gate, the Five-Story Pagoda and the Nitenmon Gate, an Important Cultural Property, from Wednesday, December 3 to Sunday, December 7. According to the organizer, the projection mapping on the Hozomon Gate drew more than 150,000 visitors.

This year, the projections are shown at two locations, the Main Hall and the Hozomon Gate. Different videos of about six minutes each are shown alternately on the Main Hall (south side) and the Hozomon Gate (south side). Visitors see the same videos whatever time they come, and the audience changes roughly every six minutes.

The 2025 projection received an Excellence Award at the Projection Mapping Tokyo Award, presented by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau. It also won Gold in the “Experiential & Immersive - Interactive Outdoor Event” category of the MUSE Creative Awards 2026. The background to the awards and HITOHATA, INC.’s other awards from the same period are summarized in our article on the Senso-ji projection’s awards. The event is organized by the Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee and planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., with special cooperation from JTB Corp.

On October 28, it was announced that the event had been certified as a partner program of ARTE TOKYO (Tokyo International Culture and Arts Festival), organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo International Culture and Arts Festival Executive Committee. ARTE TOKYO is a culture and arts festival that links art, theater, music, illumination and other events held across Tokyo until December 31, and the festival’s official website also introduces this event. An overview of ARTE TOKYO can be found in our ARTE TOKYO article. Before the event opened, it was also featured on Nippon TV’s “DayDay.” and “Shuichi” and on J-WAVE’s “MIDDAY LOUNGE.”

What can visitors see? Motifs from votive paintings, the Kanbun Engi and ukiyo-e

The theme is Senso-ji’s 1,400 years of history and culture. The motifs include the temple’s large votive paintings, the illustrated origin scroll known as the Kanbun Engi, and ukiyo-e prints associated with Senso-ji.

About 50 large votive paintings, one of the motifs, are kept in the Emado (votive picture hall). Painted by artists including Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hasegawa Settan and Hemmi (Kano) Kazunobu, they are on view during the same period in a paid special viewing (the Emado is open from 9:00 to 16:00). Visitors can see the actual paintings by day and the projections at night. Details are in our article on the special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado.

High-power lasers are also used in the show. The organizer explains that their output is reduced, that they are aimed into the air and that they are not directed at the cultural properties. During the event, the wisteria trellis area in the temple grounds also features a scent installation, “The Scent of Asakusa,” by the perfume brand Hatenko.

When to go: avoiding the crowds

The organizer expects heavy crowds right after the 18:00 start and recommends coming as late as possible. Since the videos are the same at all times, visiting later does not change what you can see.

On Friday, October 30, Saturday, October 31, Sunday, November 1 and Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), it may take time to reach the Hozomon Gate because of crowds on Nakamise-dori. Because the two videos rotate roughly every six minutes, the organizer expects visitors to be able to watch without a long wait.

Depending on crowding, the event may be temporarily suspended, entry may be restricted, or part of the content may change. Visitors are asked to follow staff directions and to cooperate with the one-way route on site.

Suggested route: from the daytime special viewing to the night projections and illuminations

The organizer considers the time after 18:00, when the Nakamise shops close and it gets dark, to be best for viewing. If you visit from the afternoon, you can combine the projections with the special viewing held in the same temple grounds, in the following order.

1. Until 15:30: At the Emado, see the actual large votive paintings, about 50 works by Utagawa Kuniyoshi and others, and the “Senso-ji Kanbun Engi Scroll” painted by Kano Ujinobu in 1662 (Kanbun 2) (special viewing; last entry to the Emado is 15:30)

2. From 17:00: “Kinryu Yakai” at the Denboin Garden. The garden is illuminated until 21:00, and the Japanese-style jazz dance team Hanabi performs an original dance (about five minutes) every 30 minutes from 17:00 to 20:00

3. 18:00–21:30: Walk from the Hozomon Gate to the Main Hall and watch the two projection mapping shows (about six minutes each)

4. After 21:30: The Main Hall, Five-Story Pagoda, Hozomon Gate and Kaminarimon Gate of Senso-ji are illuminated every day from sunset until around 23:00

On the final day, Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), the Asakusa Tourism Federation will also perform the White Heron Dance (Shirasagi no Mai) at 11:30 and 14:40 in the plaza on the west side in front of the Main Hall. According to Senso-ji, the dance revives one depicted in the “Senso-ji Engi” (Kanbun Engi), linking it to the same origin scroll that inspired the projections. The schedule of events in Asakusa is in our roundup of events in Asakusa in November. If you plan to continue after the projections to the observation terrace of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, open free of charge until 22:00, or to the early Edo-period Nitenmon Gate and Asakusa Shrine, our guide to exploring Asakusa at night will help.

Photography rules and access

Drones are prohibited. Tripods, selfie sticks and other auxiliary equipment cannot be used on site, and visitors are asked to refrain from flash photography. Visitors may appear in photos taken by staff or in media coverage.

The nearest station is Asakusa, about a five-minute walk from each of the Tobu Skytree Line, the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, the Tsukuba Express and the Toei Asakusa Line (Exit A4). Toei buses and Taito City’s Megurin community bus are also available. Senso-ji has no parking, and the surrounding roads are expected to be congested during the event, so visitors are encouraged to use public transportation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a reservation? Is there a fee?

The projection mapping on the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate is free to view, and no advance registration is required. The special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado held at the same time is paid and requires a date-specific ticket.

Are the projections held in the rain?

Projections go ahead in the rain. In stormy weather, however, they may be temporarily suspended or canceled.

Does the light affect the cultural properties?

According to the organizer, about ten projectors of 20,000 lumens each are used. Compared with floodlights for outdoor events (10,000 to more than 50,000 lumens) and LED streetlights (10,000 to 20,000 lumens), the organizer explains, there is no risk of affecting the cultural properties.

Can I bring my pet?

Because the projection mapping takes place outdoors in the temple grounds, pets are allowed. However, crowds are expected, and pets will very likely need to be held in your arms or kept in a carrier bag. Pets are not allowed in the special viewing, to protect the cultural properties.

What time is best to go?

The organizer expects heavy crowds right after the 18:00 start and recommends coming as late as possible. The videos are the same at all times, and projections run until 21:30. The time after 18:00, when the Nakamise shops close and it gets dark, is said to be best for viewing.

Whom should I contact with questions?

The Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee secretariat (info@hitohata.jp, 03-6737-9291). The organizer asks that inquiries not be directed to Senso-ji.

Editor’s perspective

The focus this year is that the projections have extended to the Main Hall. In its FAQ, the organizer specifies the number and brightness of the projectors and even that the lasers are not aimed at the cultural properties. When a light show is staged in temple grounds, such careful explanations are essential.

Another point is that the motifs of the videos and the actual objects can be seen during the same period. The large votive paintings used in the night projections are on view by day in the special viewing held at the same time. This approach, which not only uses a temple’s pictorial materials as source material for the videos but also leads visitors to the originals, offers a useful reference when thinking about night-time light shows on cultural properties.

The projections are carried out with the Projection Mapping Promotion Support Grant from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau. The special tours of Denboin and other programs are covered by the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ subsidy for projects utilizing cultural resources. Another notable feature is that a tourism grant and a subsidy for the use of cultural properties are combined within a single event. Other projections and light events in Tokyo are introduced in our guide to projection mapping and light events in Tokyo.

Overview

Name: ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026
Dates: Friday, October 30 – Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), 2026
Hours: 18:00–21:30 (videos of about six minutes are projected alternately on the Main Hall and the Hozomon Gate; one-way route from the Hozomon Gate to the Main Hall)
Venue: Senso-ji Temple, Main Hall and Hozomon Gate (projected on the south side of each)
Address: 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Free; no advance registration required
Related program: Special viewing of the Denboin Garden (Place of Scenic Beauty) and the Emado at Senso-ji (October 30 – November 3, 9:00–21:00; Emado until 16:00; paid)
Organizer: Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee
Planning and production: HITOHATA, INC.
Special cooperation: JTB Corp.
Grant: Projection Mapping Promotion Support Grant, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau
Partnership: ARTE TOKYO (Tokyo International Culture and Arts Festival) partner program
Inquiries: Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee secretariat (info@hitohata.jp, 03-6737-9291)
Official website: https://www.asakusaculturelights.com/
*Information as of October 31, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Key visual (Senso-ji Main Hall) (from a press release by HITOHATA, INC.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from HITOHATA, INC. (September 2, October 7 and October 28, 2026), the official website (accessed October 31, 2026), the ARTE TOKYO program page, Senso-ji’s official website (illumination notice and temple dances) and information from the Asakusa Tourism Federation (White Heron Dance performance).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

The latest information on events produced by HITOHATA, INC. is available at HITOHATA, INC.’s event information. Inquiries about planning projection mapping on cultural properties, government buildings and other urban buildings are accepted through the company’s contact form.