Hey! Shanelle here! First off, I have a question. What do you think of when you hear the word “Kobe”? I’m just curious, because when I told some people back home that I was going to Kobe, they told me to enjoy the steak! Before I start, I would like to state that the “Kobe” I will be talking about will be referring to the city Kobe in Japan.
Now that we have that established, I had one of the most amazing experiences recently in Kobe! I went to see the Kobe Luminaire with my friends, which is a light festival held in Kobe during Christmastime every year. When we arrived, we were astonished by the crowd! There were droves of people every side we turned – it was like I was in Disneyworld during the busy season! But what was more interesting was the way in which the crowd was controlled. Rather than a frantic chaos of bodies, there were police officers controlling the traffic of people in an orderly manner – this part resembled the waiting lines for rides in just about every theme park. As we slowly shuffled our way to the lights, the anticipation set in and excitement filled the air. Honestly, it took about an hour and a half waiting in the crowds in order to reach the lights, but the wait was definitely worth it!
These lights were absolutely spectacular! When I caught a glimpse of the beginning of the lights, I screamed – like literally screamed – in excitement, because the sight was so mesmerizing! I love Christmas and I love Christmas lights, but I have never seen anything like this light festival! They weren’t regular Christmas lights, they were like colorful decorations that covered the entire area, making the buildings look like mini palaces! With every step we took, it felt like we were walking into a magical wonderland! If it were snowing, I would have believed it if someone told me we were at the entrance for Santa’s workshop – it had that kind of enchanting appeal!
I had such an amazing time at this light festival! I’ve been to my fair share of illumination festivals here in Japan, but I definitely think that this one takes the cake! If you’re ever in Japan during the winter season, I highly recommend coming to see the Kobe Luminaire. You definitely won’t regret it!