>> Turn off the Lights and Watch the Stars on October 17--Lights-Down Event in Kofu Valley
>> Candle Night Summer Solstice 2009--Report on June 21
>> Event report: Dim It 2009--Hong Kong
>> Enjoy the Starlight--The International Year of Astronomy 2009
>> Event: 'Dim It' in Hong Kong-- Lights-out Event on June 21 (Updated)
>> Many People Enjoyed Candle Night--Candle Night Saskatchewan, Canada
>> Brief Report on Candle Night December 2008
>> Candle Night in Slovenia--Event Report in December 2009
>> Candle Night in Zenryouji Temple--'Go home make a wish'
>> Recreating Ancient Night of 'Heian' Dynasty--Lights-down at Kyoto Gyoen Forests
>> Event Report: Dim It--Hong Kong
>> Event Report: Lights Out Day in China
>> Event Report: Lights Out Day--Taiwan
>> Event Report: Candle Night Korea
>> Over 65,000 Facilities to Join--MOE's Lights Down Campaign
>> Event Update: Candle Night Korea
>> Brief Report of Candle Night Winter Solstice 2007
>> Artist's Performances--Candle Night in Governador Valadares, Brazil
>> Getting the Candle Night Message Across to the World--Fuji Xerox Co.
>> A Family's Wishes on Candle Night--The Story of Ivory
>> Effects of MOE's "Lights Down" Campaign June 2007
>> Candle Night in Taipei 2007
>> Candle Night Summer Solstice 2007 in Tokyo
>> MOE's 'Lights Down Campaign'--Black Illumination 2007
>> Mauritius held the 2nd Candle Night.
>> "Five-minute Action" took place in Europe, Feb 1, 2007
>> Reports from Overseas--December 2006
>> Candle Night Winter Solstice 2006--Kobe, Japan
>> Preparation also Underway in Candlelight--South Korea Winter 2006
>> A Brief Report of Candle Night Summer Solstice 2006
>> MOE's Black Illumination 2006
>> National Candle Night in Mauritius 2006
>> Milk Carton Lanterns Lighting up Kumamoto
>> Beeswax candle workshop and volunteer meeting at JFS
>> Candle Night Winter Solstice 2006--Rikkyo University
>> A Living Organism--Candle Night in Sapporo 2005
>> Candle Night in Shanghai 2005
>> Greetings to Candle Nighters on the other side of the world.
>> Candle Night in South Korea 2005
>> Candle Night at Harajuku Cat Street
>> 'Candle Night'-Summer Solstice 2004 in Japan
Candle Night Winter Solstice 2006--Kobe, Japan
On the evening of the winter solstice, December 22, 2006, from 8 to 10 pm, Candle Night events were held in Japan and the world. On the Candle Night website, 280 events were registered. In this newsletter, we'd like to show our readers the event held in Kobe City in western Japan.
Kobe City is a traditional port town in western Japan with a population of around 1.8 million. It is a popular destination for tourists. Old western-style buildings still remain in the city, featuring an exotic atmosphere. Kobe is also famous for its "10 million dollar night view."
On December 22, youth from ages 16 to 26 held a Candle Night event. They aimed to enjoy the night without "10 million-dollar" artificial electric lights, even if it was only temporary. They formed a committee called "Ho-ki boshi" (meaning a comet in English) and organized a Candle Night at a seaside park. Around one thousand people joined the event, decorating 5,000 candles.
The city of Kobe and surrounding areas suffered from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January 17, 1995.
Over six thousand people died. Ten years have passed since then, but many people who lost their families still feel psychological pain. One of the staff members of the organization said that after joining the Candle Night event, he could, for the first time, attend a memorial ceremony for his grandparents who died in the quake. He said he felt something change in his mind during the Candle Night event.
Candle Night offers time to enjoy oneself in their own way. During the next Candle Night, something may change somewhere in the world.
(Yuko Kishikami, the Candle Night Committee)
Photo courtesy of Ho-ki boshi, Kobe
March 2, 2007
