My 10 Images Of Nagasaki Lantern Festival In Snow, Which Is A Rare Occurrence

The coldest wave in a decade hit Japan.

Nagasaki Prefecture held its first Lantern Festival in three years. I was able to photograph the fantastic collaboration of snow and lantern lights.

Since it rarely snows in this part of the area, I succeeded in capturing a ruthlessly rare sight.

The Nagasaki Lantern Festival is an annual festival held from late January to early February, originating from the Chinese New Year celebration, the Chinese New Year Festival. More than one million visitors come from all over Japan.

The Nagasaki Lantern Festival was first held in 1987 in Nagasaki's Shinchi Chinatown as the Shunsetsusai, an event for overseas Chinese living in Nagasaki to celebrate the Chinese New Year (Shunsetsusai). Since 1994, the Nagasaki Lantern Festival has become a major winter coloring event in Nagasaki.

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10 PHOTOS

#1

The event was held right around the time of the Lantern Festival, so I decided to preserve the traditional events that are unique to this time of year in my work.

Nagasaki is an area where snowfall is rare. Snowfall occurs only once every few years. When I visited the Lantern Festival, I had already finished photographing this lantern festival within a few days. However, when I learned from the weather forecast that snow was in the forecast, I decided to extend my stay to take photos.

The collaboration of lantern light and snow was truly a great opportunity for photographers to capture the precious scenery of Nagasaki.

#2

#3

The Lantern Festival has a number of main objects scattered over a wide area of the city. While thinking about which objects to choose as subjects to collaborate with the snow, I walked around in the snowy weather with my hands numb, trying to finish taking pictures within the limited time before the lanterns were turned off. I am glad I was able to take the ideal shot before the lanterns went out.

Also, when shooting, we struggled to control the light intensity of the strobe to match the amount of snowfall. I adjusted the amount of light many times before shooting.

#4

The Megane-Bashi Bridge is said to have been built in 1634 by a Zen priest of Kofuku-ji Temple.

#5

In fact, Nagasaki residents and tourists seemed to have enjoyed much of the Lantern Festival before the snowfall, and there were not many visitors during the snowfall. This meant that I paid little attention to the crowds and was able to concentrate on photographing the quality of the work. Only photographers are in good spirits walking around outdoors on a cold night with snow blowing like this.

It is a funny memory now that when I returned to the inn and tried to take a shower to warm my cold body, there was no hot water because the water pipes were frozen.

#6

#7

When I visited the Lantern Festival, I never expected to see snow. I did not bring my strobe equipment, which is essential for photographing the collaboration of snow and light.

Unfortunately, Nagasaki City is in the countryside of Japan. I could not find any stores that sold strobes compatible with my SONY mirrorless SLR camera.

Even if I ordered one, the snow would be over by the time it arrived. I visited a second-hand camera store, bought a used Canon strobe on the verge of failure, forced it to fire, and tried to take a picture. Unfortunately, I could not control the amount of light with this strobe and the shooting was difficult.

#8

#9

Then, to my surprise, a follower on SNS(X) who lives in Nagasaki lent me the strobe I was looking for. It was truly a miraculous help.

Together with him, I walked the streets of Nagasaki in the winter and was able to successfully capture the collaboration of the Lantern Festival and the snow in a wonderful way. Once again, I am grateful for his help.

#10