The city of Kobe, along with other organizing bodies, is planning to revive the Kobe Luminarie after a four-year hiatus. This festival of lights, held in remembrance of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake victims, has been on hold since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organizers are contemplating a shift in the event’s schedule from December to January. A final decision on this matter is expected to be made in a committee meeting slated for July. The Luminarie, which originated in 1995—the year the earthquake struck—has become a cherished winter tradition. Its iconic “Corridor of Light” in the old foreign settlement and the grand installations in Higashi Yuenchi Park have been greatly missed.
The proposed move to January is being considered to minimize disruption to local businesses around the venue. These businesses have previously been impacted by traffic restrictions during the festival, especially during the bustling end-of-year shopping season. Some believe that January, being the month of the earthquake, aligns better with the event’s purpose. The organizers are mulling over the idea of hosting the event following the annual “1.17 Gathering” on January 17th at Higashi Yuenchi Park.
However, the revival of the festival comes with its own set of challenges. The event’s operational costs amount to approximately 500 million yen, and contributions from corporate sponsors and attendees—excluding government subsidies—have been on a downward trend. To mitigate potential crowd-related incidents, the organizers are considering replacing the “Corridor of Light” with dispersed light decorations in various locations, such as Meriken Park. As the 30th anniversary of the earthquake approaches, the city and other groups are exploring sustainable ways to conduct the event.
Shinichi Fujimoto, the chairman of the “1.17 Gathering” executive committee, expressed his concerns, stating, “While a January event aligns with the original intent, reducing the scale of the exhibition could deter visitors. Therefore, a careful decision is needed.”
This is a translation of the original article from Kobe Newspaper (Japanese).
