Why Are Light-Ups and Projection Mapping at Cultural Properties on the Rise? Reading the Nights at Castles, Temples, Shrines and Government Buildings

In autumn 2026, light events illuminating castles, temples, shrines and government buildings at night continue across Japan. At Tsuruga-jo Castle in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, projection mapping will be projected onto the keep and stone walls from Friday, November 20, and at Senso-ji in Tokyo onto the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate from Friday, October 30. In the Basic Plan for the Promotion of a Tourism-Oriented Country, approved by the Cabinet on March 27, 2026, the national government set out the “promotion of early-morning and nighttime experiences at cultural properties and the like,” and the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have also set up subsidy and grant programs. Drawing on this autumn’s examples and public programs, this article examines why the night at cultural properties has become a stage for light.

Major light events at castles, temples, shrines and government buildings this autumn

First, here are the main events being held, or to be held, this autumn. Even the main examples alone show a wide range of stages: castles, temples, shrines and government buildings.

• Castles: “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” (November 20–22), projected onto the keep and stone walls of Tsuruga-jo Castle (Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture). “NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle 2026” (October 23 – December 5) at the World Heritage site Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto). “SINFONIA” at Osaka Castle Main Tower (October 15–25, ended). “teamLab: Digitized Fukuoka Castle Ruins 2026-2027” at the Fukuoka Castle ruins (October 30 – January 11, 2027).

• Temples: “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” (October 30 – November 3), projected onto the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate of Senso-ji (Taito-ku, Tokyo). The autumn night special viewing at Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto) (November 21–30). New projection mapping at Kodaiji in Kyoto, autumn night visits to the National Treasure Zuiganji (Miyagi Prefecture) and “VIE presents ZEN NIGHT Kamakura” at Kenchoji in Kamakura.

• Shrines: “WONDER NIGHT JINGU – Gekka –” at Heian Jingu Shrine (Kyoto) (from November 2) and “Tokimusubi no Mori” at Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine (Saitama Prefecture).

• Government buildings: “AICHI NAGOYA ART & LIGHTS” (September 17 – October 24, ended) at the Aichi Prefectural Government Main Office Building and the Nagoya City Hall Main Building, Imperial Crown-style buildings designated as national Important Cultural Properties. “TOKYO Night & Light,” screened year-round on Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1.

Details of events around Japan are introduced in our roundup of projection mapping and light events across Japan.

Those who stage these events vary. Kiyomizu-dera’s night special viewing is held by the temple itself, which extends its opening hours to 21:30 during the period. The temple explains that the single blue beam of light shining from its precincts represents the compassion of Kannon.

At the same time, cases in which video and art production companies handle planning and staging are also prominent. Tsuruga-jo Castle, Senso-ji, the Aichi and Nagoya government buildings, and “Edo, City of Water: The Outer Moat” at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building are produced by HITOHATA, INC. The night visits to Zuiganji are handled by NAKED, and teamLab presents works at the Fukuoka Castle ruins.

The forms of organization also have something in common. The Senso-ji event is organized by the Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee, and Tsuruga-jo Castle’s by the Tsuruga-jo Night Walk Executive Committee. The Aichi and Nagoya event is organized by the Aichi-Nagoya Urban Art & Light Executive Committee, and the Metropolitan Government Building’s by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Projection Mapping Executive Committee. Aizuwakamatsu City is listed as a co-organizer at Tsuruga-jo Castle, and Fukuoka City as a cooperator for the Fukuoka Castle Ruins Light Festival.

The national tourism plan positions “nighttime experiences” as a measure against congestion

One part of the background is national tourism policy. The “Basic Plan for the Promotion of a Tourism-Oriented Country (5th),” approved by the Cabinet on March 27, 2026, covers the five fiscal years from 2026 to 2030. One of its three pillars is “balancing the strategic attraction of inbound visitors with ensuring the quality of residents’ lives.” Its summary describes strengthening measures to prevent and curb overtourism as “essential.”

What is worth noting here is how the night at cultural properties is treated. In the summary, the “promotion of early-morning and nighttime experiences at cultural properties and the like” is placed under “measures against excessive congestion,” within “responses to individual issues such as congestion and poor manners.” The same item lists measures against traffic jams on community roads, the development of park-and-ride parking lots, the promotion of luggage-free sightseeing, and the introduction of entry management and reservation systems. This suggests that early-morning and nighttime experiences are treated as one way to ease congestion.

Under the item “dispersing demand by promoting visits to regional areas,” the plan also lists the tourism use of cultural resources (such as enhancing cultural facilities like museums and art museums). The same item also includes promoting tourism-based community development that makes use of historical resources. As for targets, while keeping goals such as 15 trillion yen in spending by international visitors unchanged, the plan newly sets targets such as one for total overnight stays in regional areas.

Programs linking preservation and utilization: “reinvestment from utilization into preservation”

There are also subsidy and grant programs that support individual events. At Senso-ji’s “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026,” the projection mapping receives a grant from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau. The related cultural property tour program is supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ fiscal 2026 “Cultural Resource Utilization Project Subsidy (Project to Promote the Attractive Use of Cultural Properties Across Japan).” The event as a whole is covered in our article introducing ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026.

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Project to Promote the Attractive Use of Cultural Properties Across Japan (formerly the Living History Promotion Project) adds high value to cultural properties, centered on nationally designated cultural properties and the like. Its aim is to achieve “reinvestment from utilization into preservation” and create a sustainable virtuous cycle of preservation and utilization. The fiscal 2026 application guidelines say it supports the creation and sale of experiences that use cultural properties, targeting projects that aim to keep selling them in subsequent years and reinvest the proceeds in preserving the cultural properties.

Eligible recipients include owners, management organizations, local governments and private businesses. The application guidelines call for improving the environment for receiving visitors, such as Wi-Fi, multilingual support and cashless payment, and list whether a project helps attract international visitors as one of the evaluation criteria. The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ list of grant and support programs related to cultural properties also includes the “Cultural Property Multilingual Commentary Project” and the “Project to Promote the Appeal of Japanese Culture Using Advanced Technology,” among others.

The Senso-ji tour program is a concrete example of that approach. At Senso-ji’s Denboin, an Important Cultural Property, large-scale conservation and repair work has been under way for about 10 years since 2016. On October 31 and November 1, a special tour program introducing that work (paid, advance purchase only) is held.

The guide is Takumi Tamura of the Japanese Association for Conservation of Architectural Monuments, who supervises the repair work on the Denboin’s guest hall and entrance. During the same period as the light show, the organizers combined a special viewing of the normally closed scenic Denboin Garden with a program conveying the site of the repairs.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau’s “Projection Mapping Promotion Support Grant” aims to create cityscapes that captivate visitors to Tokyo and to attract travelers from Japan and abroad. It covers events such as projecting images matched to the shapes of three-dimensional objects like buildings. For fiscal 2026, the grant rate is up to two-thirds of eligible expenses for new projects (up to 25 million yen), up to one-half for the second consecutive year and up to one-third for the third year.

Eligible applicants include municipalities, tourism associations, area management organizations and private businesses, while religious corporations, social welfare corporations and the like are excluded. The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau has also set up a general consultation desk to support planning and implementation in Tokyo.

How to create nighttime circulation and longer stays

Night events draw people at a different time of day from daytime ones. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government positions “TOKYO Night & Light,” the projection mapping on the Metropolitan Government Building, as an initiative based on Strategy 14 (promotion of nighttime tourism) of the “2050 Tokyo Strategy.” Since it began in February 2024, cumulative viewers have reached 1.55 million (as of an announcement on August 7, 2026). Screening times and works are compiled in our guide to TOKYO Night & Light.

According to press releases, the projection mapping first held at Senso-ji’s Hozomon Gate in 2025 drew more than 150,000 visitors. The 2025 event at Tsuruga-jo Castle drew about 20,000 people over three days. “Edo, City of Water: The Outer Moat,” produced by HITOHATA, INC. for the Metropolitan Government Building, is also part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s project to purify the Outer Moat, so the nighttime footage also helps convey the revival of the city’s waterfront.

Hours vary by event. The Senso-ji event runs from 18:00 to 21:30, the Aichi and Nagoya government buildings from 18:30 to 21:00, Tsuruga-jo Castle from 17:30 to 21:00 and Nijo-jo Castle’s night hours from 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00). The Fukuoka Castle Ruins Light Festival is open until 22:00. Screenings at the Metropolitan Government Building take place every 30 minutes, and according to the annual screening schedule on the official website, from November they start with the 17:30 show.

If people have a reason to stay in town into the night, day-trip stopovers may turn into overnight stays. Given that the new national plan sets a target for total overnight stays in regional areas, nighttime cultural property experiences could also be discussed in that context. However, the official materials we checked did not contain data showing how much accommodation or spending night events have generated. Verifying their effects remains an issue for the future.

Rules on congestion, safety and photography

Drawing crowds makes attention to congestion and safety essential. The Senso-ji event warns that it is very crowded right after it starts and recommends coming as late as possible. Visitors are asked to cooperate with one-way routes guided by staff, and admission may be restricted or parts of the content changed depending on crowds.

At the Aichi and Nagoya government buildings, crowds were expected from around 18:30 to 19:30. The organizers asked visitors to use the viewing areas on the premises, noting that stopping on sidewalks to watch or take photos obstructs passersby.

Photography rules are also set out in detail for each event. At the Senso-ji event, auxiliary equipment such as tripods and selfie sticks cannot be used, visitors are asked to refrain from flash photography, and drones are prohibited. Tsuruga-jo Castle prohibited flash photography and drone filming, as well as long periods of shooting with tripods in the front row when crowded. When crowded, it asks visitors to refrain from burst shooting or to use a silent shooting mode, and recommends filming video.

The venues themselves also have rules. Nijo-jo Castle prohibits taking photos and videos inside the Ninomaru Palace and Honmaru Palace, asks visitors to refrain from using monopods and tripods within the castle grounds and prohibits flying drones on the premises. On the outdoor viewing route, photos may be taken as long as they do not disturb other visitors. Before heading out to a night event, check each venue’s rules as well.

As for transportation, the Aichi and Nagoya venues had no parking, and visitors were required to come by public transportation. Tsuruga-jo Castle also asks visitors to use public transportation or carpool, noting that some parking may be unavailable and spaces are limited. The Tsuruga-jo organizer also notes that it may analyze visitors’ movements in a form that does not identify individuals.

Editor’s perspective

Behind the spread of events that stage cultural properties at night with light lie several overlapping policy currents: a national plan that seeks to disperse tourism in time and place, an Agency for Cultural Affairs program that links the use of cultural properties to funding for their preservation, and local governments’ measures to grow nighttime tourism. This autumn’s examples and public materials reveal that structure.

What is then in question is the content. Tsuruga-jo Castle chose as its subject local traditional culture such as Aizu lacquerware, Aizu painted candles and Aizu cotton; Senso-ji, large votive paintings and the illustrated scroll “Kanbun Engi”; and Nijo-jo Castle, the aesthetic sensibility of Tokugawa Masako. Whether an event can tell a story rooted in the history of its place is what separates it from a video show that could be seen anywhere. Designs that connect the night experience to understanding of cultural properties and interest in their preservation, as at Senso-ji, which combined the event with a program showing the repair site, are likely to become one axis of evaluation.

The other issue is the concentration of visitors. While the national plan places nighttime experiences in the context of congestion measures, individual events confront the flow of people with admission restrictions, one-way routes and limits on photography. The more people the light draws, the greater the need for consideration toward the cultural properties and the lives of those who live around them. Visitors, too, are asked to help spread out the crowds, for example by choosing later time slots.

Frequently asked questions

Why are illuminations and projection mapping at cultural properties increasing?

One reason is national tourism policy. The fifth Basic Plan for Promoting a Tourism Nation, approved by the Cabinet on March 27, 2026, places “promoting early-morning and nighttime experiences at cultural properties” under measures against excessive congestion. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government also run subsidy programs that support events opening cultural properties at night.

What subsidy programs are there?

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Resource Utilization Project Subsidy (project to promote the use of attractive cultural properties nationwide) supports projects that add value to cultural properties centered on nationally designated ones, aiming at “reinvestment from utilization into preservation.” The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau offer a subsidy that covers projection mapping.

What are the main events at castles, temples and shrines in autumn and winter 2026?

They include Tsurugajo (November 20–22), NAKED meets Nijo Castle 2026 (until December 5) and the teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins Light Festival (until January 11, 2027). Among government buildings, TOKYO Night & Light at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is screened year-round.

Overview of major events this autumn

Name: Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026
Dates: Friday, November 20 – Sunday, November 22, 2026
Hours: 17:30–21:00
Venue: Tsuruga-jo Castle Ruins Park (1-1 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture)
Admission: Free; no advance registration required
Organizer: Tsuruga-jo Night Walk Executive Committee (co-organizer: Aizuwakamatsu City)
Official website: https://www.city.aizuwakamatsu.fukushima.jp/docs/2026091400039/

Name: ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026
Dates: Friday, October 30 – Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday)
Hours: 18:00–21:30
Venue: Senso-ji Main Hall and Hozomon Gate (2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Admission: Projection mapping free; no advance registration required (the special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado is paid)
Organizer: Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee
Official website: https://www.asakusaculturelights.com/

Name: NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle 2026
Dates: Friday, October 23 – Saturday, December 5, 2026
Hours: 18:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00)
Venue: Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto)
Admission: Early-bird (until October 22): Monday–Thursday 1,600 yen, Friday–Sunday and holidays 2,000 yen; regular: Monday–Thursday 2,000 yen, Friday–Sunday and holidays 2,400 yen (day and night sessions are separate)
Official website: https://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/event/matsuri2026-1/

Name: AICHI NAGOYA ART & LIGHTS
Dates: Thursday, September 17 – Saturday, October 24, 2026
Hours: 18:30–21:00
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Government Main Office Building and Nagoya City Hall Main Building (west walls)
Admission: Free; no advance reservation required
Organizer: Aichi-Nagoya Urban Art & Light Executive Committee
Official website: https://aichinagoyaartlights.com/

Name: Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Special Viewing
Dates: November 21 – November 30, 2026
Hours: Opening hours extended until 21:30 during the period (admission until 21:00)
Venue: Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto)
Reservations: Not required
Official website: https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/event/yakan.php

Name: TOKYO Night & Light
Period: Year-round (screened daily except in bad weather and other circumstances)
Venue: East wall of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 (viewing area: Citizens’ Plaza)
Organizers: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Projection Mapping Executive Committee
Official website: https://tokyoprojectionmappingproject.jp/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official websites for the latest information.

Articles organized by each stage of planning are compiled in our guide to articles for those planning projection mapping and light events.

How “City of Water: Edo Outer Moat” at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building ties in with the regeneration of the Edo Castle outer moat (the Sotobori Purification Project) is explained in our article on the work and the Sotobori Purification Project.

*Top image: Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2025 (from a press release by HITOHATA, INC.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements by each organizer and facility (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: Among the examples featured in this article, the projection mapping at Tsuruga-jo Castle, Senso-ji, the Aichi Prefectural Government Office and Nagoya City Hall, and “Edo, City of Water: The Outer Moat” at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building are produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE, plans, directs, produces and operates projection mapping on National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties, World Heritage sites and urban landmarks, as well as immersive exhibitions. Planning events with expected effects on attracting visitors and on the local area is also within the scope of consultations. Inquiries, including at the stage before a budget has been set, are accepted through HITOHATA, INC.’s contact form (which has an inquiry category for local governments and public projects). Past work is introduced in HITOHATA, INC.’s project portfolio.