Held during the Mito Plum Festival season, Kairakuen UME The Lights is a nighttime illumination event that reimagines Kairakuen Garden after sunset. Taking place on selected evenings (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays during the event period) each spring, the event uses light, color, and sound to highlight the garden's plum and bamboo groves at the peak of the blossom season.
Rather than a simple light-up, the experience is designed around the philosophy of yin and yang envisioned by Tokugawa Nariaki, the garden's founder. Shadow and brightness are used deliberately across different areas of the garden, creating distinct atmospheres as visitors move through the grounds.
In the bamboo forest, mist drifts between the tall stalks while projection mapping brings classical waka poetry about plum blossoms into view. The effect is designed to be immersive without being overwhelming, with a softly lit teahouse along the route offering a natural place to pause. The plum grove provides a contrasting scene, illuminated using layered color schemes inspired by imperial court aesthetics. Overlapping tones of red and white echo the buds and petals, giving the grove depth and variation as the light shifts.
The event also features special collaborations, including themed installations inspired by popular Japanese pop culture. These areas combine color, sound and storytelling, encouraging visitors to move through the space rather than simply observe it from a distance.
Food and drink stalls add to the evening, offering local sake, plum wine and seasonal dishes made with regional ingredients. Together, the illuminated gardens, spring blossoms and local flavors make Kairakuen UME The Lights a standout way to experience one of Japan's most celebrated gardens after dark.
