The Wagasa Genso Hana Akari, an event combining evening cherry-blossom viewing, traditional oil-paper wagasa umbrellas and projection mapping, is being held at the World Heritage Site of Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture.
Wagasa umbrellas have traditionally been used as symbols that can ward off evil spirits, and 50 of the colorful and ornamental umbrellas have been set up under about 60 cherry trees in bloom within the castle's Nishinomaru garden. For the event, they are lit up as part of an invocation asking for the novel coronavirus pandemic to end.
The popular spring flower is also given prominence in projection mapping presentations that can be viewed on the castle's Watariyagura watch tower wall.
Last year's event was canceled due to the pandemic. This year, the event has been green lit as measures to prevent infections from spreading and crowds from forming have been implemented. There is an attendee cap of 1,000 per day and reservations are necessary via website. Furthermore, operating hours were reduced by one hour for this year's event.
"We light up the wagasa umbrellas hoping that city residents will be able to live daily life happily," an official of the castle's management office said. "We want visitors to enjoy the fantastic atmosphere surrounding Himeji Castle."
Admission is 600 yen for adults and 200 yen for elementary to high school students. The event is open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m and runs until April 11.
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