Emukae. The play of light.

Not even a thirty minutes ride from Sasebo leads you to the quiet city of Emukae that transforms three times a year.

During one week in spring and fall, a Buddhist temple lays out the reflective surface that completely transforms a traditional tatami mat room reflecting the colors of leaves and flowers from outside. I got to speak to the monk who lives there and he mentioned that it gets busy. However if you get up early enough you might have a place to yourself or be not in line to witness this beauty. Off season it's a lovely peaceful space with manicured zen garden that you can browse around appreciating its beauty.

https://goo.gl/maps/9cBEEycvrFYh9Ypr6

The second time the city get very vibrant is durning the festival of 1000 lanterns that attracts large numbers of locals and foreigners alike. Like with any Japanese festival, expect great variety of food vendors, activities to entertain kids and the pyramid itself with fireworks at night. Parking closest to the main event grounds gets extremely busy. We were guided to park at a local high school which was only a fifteen minute walk away and had an easy access. It's a very unique and fun event worth checking out!

https://goo.gl/maps/ejixoRrRtXed1Qr96

FREE Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/sYfoscZzk8yUWqKD9

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