Kobe Luminarie

This week is the annual Kobe Luminarie which was originally held to commemorate the 1993 Hanshin/Awaji earthquake that claimed the lives of some 6000 people. Now it’s just as much about showing off the city as it is about commemoration, and as such they’ve moved it to the peak shopping period just before Christmas instead of mid-january, when it was originally held. It seems that every person on Honshu wanted a look, as the line (about 20 people wide) streched about six blocks. However, it was well worth the wait. Actually, I think my favourite part was when we came around the final corner and there was a collective gasp and 300 cell phones were hoisted in the air to try and grab a photo. This happened every 10 seconds as more people came around the corner.

Posted in Japan on Thursday December 25, 2003.