illumination

  • Fujisan Farewell Lights Up The Year’s End

    Fortune gave me a delightful end to 2025 with an unexpected night flight to Enoshima to see the Jewel of Shonan illumination event. We still made it home in time to farewell the year with the traditional Red and White Year-end Song Festival…at least partway, as I couldn’t be bothered and went to bed. Having been incapacitated for months due to a broken leg, I wasn’t expecting to head out, especially I only stopped using crutches on Dec. 26, gave short shrift to a cane the following day and then limped around under my own steam thereafter. But Mrs. Kangaeroo, who delights in the usually spectacular winter illumination events around…

  • Dino Might!

    Perhaps not surprisingly in a land ruled by middle-aged and elderly blokes and the fax still a crucial communication tool, mightily impressive dinosaurs have taken over a part of Japan not far from Tokyo. And despite being equipped with apparently razor-sharp fangs, the dinosaurs in question are actually toothless. They’re part of an amazing display at the Izu Granpal Amusement Park. The park is located in Izukogen, a town about 100 km southwest of central Tokyo. And the dinosaurs are part of an illumination display presented with a Cool Japan Matching Award. Both the dinosaurs and the illumination display were absolutely fabulous! In clear weather, it’s also possible to ride…