Zenkoji temple dazzles with lotus-themed light show：The Asahi Shimbun – Asahi Shimbun

Zenkoji temple turns purple during an illumination event themed on the moment a lotus blooms, in Nagano on Dec. 15. (Video footage by Kanako Tanaka)


NAGANO–Crowds braved the cold at Zenkoji temple here to take in a dazzling illumination event on the winter evening of Dec. 15.

Giant images of lotuses, a motif deeply connected to Buddhism, lit up the seventh-century temple along with those of butterflies, while light ambient music played.

“It’s fantastical. I was moved by the temple, which looked different from usual,” said Takumi Arikawa, 20, of Nagano.

The colors of the lights and shapes that were projected alternated frequently, as they swept over the face of the temple, amid blowing mist.

The event, called Blooming Moment, will continue through Dec. 25, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, but will not be held Dec. 18.

Kimi Hasegawa, the event’s designer, incorporated images of a blooming lotus flower that were shone across the temple to evoke the idea of paradise found in the Buddhist tradition of the Pure Land.

The temple gate and streets leading to the temple are also illuminated during the event.


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