It took three months of work and 20 technicians to install millions of tiny light bulbs but it appears that every single second was worth it.
Every winter evening, thousands of visitors have been braving the freezing cold to attend Japan's largest light display, Nabana no Sato Winter Illumination, located four hours from Tokyo.
Over 5.8 million LEDs animate botanical gardens with shifting landscapes, from golden tunnels to aurora-inspired scenes.
For the Japanese, the end-of-year celebrations are above all a celebration of beauty and wonder.
"It's beautiful. It's very Japanese", said one couple attending. "These illuminations, these spherical atmospheres, these scenographies. I think that only in Japan can you see this"
Some visitors treat themselves to a break in the country’s natural hot springs. Others admire a 35-metre-high reconstruction of Mount Fuji. It took three months of work and 20 technicians to transform the botanical garden and install millions of tiny light bulbs.
