Tokyo Tower to light up in red as high-profile guests take part
On Feb 4, the date of Lunar New Year’s Eve this year, the landmark Tokyo Tower will be lit up in the lucky color red using 36 big spotlights, and the main deck of the tower will say “Happy Spring Festival” in Mandarin Chinese, a senior diplomat said.
“This will be the first time the Tokyo Tower has been lit up for China,” said Zhan Kongchao, consul general of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. “A lighting up festival will be held at the Place of Tokyo venue, just in front of the tower, and Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua will attend.”
According to Zhan, a working group has been established to organize the event, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike are on the guest list.
The 333-meter tall steel Tokyo Tower was built in 1958, and became a famous tourism site as it provides a spectacular view of the whole of the Japanese capital from its two observation decks, known as the 150-meter-high Main Deck and the 250-meter-high Top Deck.
Using spotlights and fixed bulbs, the tower sports different colors and themes for events and promotions. Landmark Light is the most frequently used theme, and is considered a name-card of Tokyo.
Apart from the Tokyo Tower lighting event, a series of activities is set to be held all over the country to celebrate this year’s Spring Festival.
“If one wants to feel the Spring Festival atmosphere in Japan, I think the best place to go is Yokohama Chinatown,” said Keiichiro Yoshida, a Japanese graduate who studied at Peking University in Beijing.
As one of the first settlements in Japan for Chinese migrants and their descendants, Yokohama Chinatown has been celebrating Spring Festival since 1986.
Walking along the streets of Yokohama Chinatown this year, visitors can see the lion and dragon dances, enjoy traditional performances such as acrobatics, catch the celebration parade and see thousands of lanterns lit for the festivities.
Similar events are also being planned in the Chinatowns in Kobe and Nagasaki.
“I haven’t been to Chinatown for Spring Festival for many years,” said 55-year-old Zhao Aiwen, who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years.
“I tend to enjoy the quieter aspects and traditions of Spring Festival, such as family reunions, cleaning and refreshing the house, and offering red envelopes to bless the children with hope and luck.”