Top 10 Readers’ Photos In Japan: December 2019

The December holiday season in Japan is all about lighting up the town. Cities across the country host elaborate light displays known as illuminations. These festive LED light-ups transform roads, parks, and other public spaces into amazing photo ops.

Many of them go past December into February and beyond, so you still have time to catch them! Check out our list of the Top 10 Winter Illuminations in Japan for the lowdown on where to go.

While you’re at it, enter our photo contest for a chance to win a pair of tickets to Awaji Island Anime Park’s Hinotori Illumination!

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✨✨We love the holiday light displays around Japan, aka Illuminations, almost as much as we love photo contests. So why not combine the two?? Huzzah! Behold our Winter Illumination Photo Contest! We're giving away two pairs of tickets to the awesome Night Walk project mapping attraction at Awaji Island Anime Park in Hyogo. It's inspired by the legendary Hinotori (Firebird) manga by Tezuka Osamu. All you have to do is tag your Japan Illumination photos with #GaijinPotTravel and #JapanIllumination for your chance to win! (Make sure you use both tags) Don't know where to catch the illuminations in Japan? Check out our list up of Japan's best winter light ups at the link in our bio. Contest goes until Jan. 20✨✨✨ #awajiisland #nijigennomori ##hyogo #tezukaosamu

A post shared by GaijinPot (@gaijinpot) on Dec 16, 2019 at 1:21am PST

Every month, we select our favorite travel images from readers. Tag your photo on Instagram with #GaijinPotTravel for a chance to be featured on our site!

10. Cotton candy skies in Kagawa.

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瀬戸の夕暮れ、 海がピンクに染まるやさしい時間。 (?Naoshima, Kagawa) #travelgram #photooftheday #photo_shorttrip #explorejapan #visitjapanjp #triptojapan #unknownjapan #next_destination #traveldestinations_ig #sunset #sunset_pics #setouchi #shikoku #kagawa #naoshima #artisland #islandhopping #setouchitriennale #香川県 #うどん県それだけじゃない香川県 #直島 #一眼レフ #プチ旅行気分 #ちょっとそこまで #アート旅 #島巡り #amazingkagawa #sunset #nikond5000 #瀬戸芸 #gaijinpottravel

A post shared by トモロメガ。 (@tomoromega) on Dec 29, 2019 at 4:10am PST

9. Morning stroll at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.

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Running across a priest during our morning walk at Fushimi Inari Taisha – for once, photobombing was more than welcome! ??? . . . . . @visit.kyoto #japan #kyoto #kyotojapan #visitkyoto #explorekyoto #beautiful_kansai #visitjapanjp #myjapan #japandailies #explorejapan #explorejpn #nipponpic #travelstoke #bbctravel #lonelyplanet #gaijinpottravel #japantravels #japantravel #traveljapan #japanphoto #japanphotography #japanlovers #fushimi #torii #japaneseshrine #hellofrom #justgoshoot #fujifeed #welivetotravel #lifewelltravelled

A post shared by Jennifer Bader | ジェニファー (@eleventhousand_miles) on Dec 24, 2019 at 10:02pm PST

8. Shibuya Scramble Crossing on a rainy day.

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Lights amongst the rain … Shibuya Tokyo! #postthepeople #pursuitofportraits #streetphotographyinternational #shibuya #traveljapan #visitjapan #tokyo2020 #rainyday #good_portraits_world #tokyopop #japanese #gaijinpottravel

A post shared by Shane Hayes World (@shanes_worldview) on Dec 23, 2019 at 12:48am PST

7. Blade Runner feels in Kabukicho, Shinjuku.

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Golden Golden Gai #ilovesaturatedgold . . . . #iphonography #iphoneography #shotoniphonexs #photoshopexpress #psexpress #tokyophotography #tokyophotographer #tokyomodel #tokyocreative #laphotographer #lamodel #lacreative #gaijinpottravel #gaijinlife #tokyoalley #goldengai #notsuspicious

A post shared by Daphne Mir (@daphnemir) on Dec 15, 2019 at 1:47pm PST

6. Yokohama Chinatown is lit.

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A Chinatown de Yokohama é a maior do Japão. Surgiu em 1859 após o porto de Yokohama ser um dos primeiros a ser aberto para o comércio internacional. Mas apenas em 1955 foi reconhecida oficialmente.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #instajapan #igersjp #ig_japan #instagramjapan #igersjapan #pics_jp #everydayjapan #日本 #gaijinpottravel #japan #japantrip #visitjapanjp #tokyocameraclub #東京カメラ部 #discovertokyo #shotoniphone #guiaemtoquio #guiaemtokyo #guianojapao #alternativaonline #timeouttokyo ⠀⠀

A post shared by Carlos Kato (@chkato) on Dec 17, 2019 at 1:25am PST

5. Patterns on patterns in Miyajima, Hiroshima.

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Ceiling of a thousand lanterns at Henjokutsu Cave, located at Miyajima in Hiroshima, Japan. #thattravelblog #LiveTravelChannel #TravelStoke #lonelyplanet #BBCTravel #justgoshoot #passionpassport #theculturetrip #AdventureCulture #departedoutdoors #worldcaptures #TravelAwesome #followmefaraway # #CreateCommune # #awesome_earthpix #WeLiveToExplore #LetsGoEverywhere #igshotz #exploretocreate #travelandlife #gaijinpottravel #lovers_nippon #lovers_nippon_artistic #ptk_japan #daily_photo_jpn #japa_of_insta #deaf_bestshot_japan #japandaily #hiroshima #japan

A post shared by Justin Forster (@justinforster.photo) on Dec 17, 2019 at 7:36am PST

4. Sunrise with a view of Mt. Fuji.

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Sunrise overlooking beautiful pink in color of Mt. Fuji….? #naturephotography #naturelovers #nature #nature_perfection #foliage #leica #leicainternationalclub #leicainternational #tlpicks #lovetravel #natgeotravel #natgeo #adorama #natgeotravelpic #gaijinpottravel

A post shared by Julia.Dj (@juliadjtokyo) on Dec 2, 2019 at 4:26am PST

3. Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi lighting up our world.

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Hi Instagram, how's it going? . . . #sonyalpha #moodygrams #raw_japan #all2epic #illgrammers #shotsdelight #japan_photogroup #Streetphotography #streetgrammers #Streetshootjapan #bokehkillers #streetoftones #bokeh_shotz #Street_focus_on #nightshooters #thestreetpr0ject #Explorejpn #night_owlz #ClickCity #urbanphotography #Streetshared #night_gram #urbanstyle #fatalframes #globalnightsquad #sonyalphasclub #AGameOfTones #gaijinpottravel #JapanIllumination #way2ill

A post shared by Kevin Pramudya I Tokyo,Japan ? (@pramudyakevin) on Dec 17, 2019 at 3:57am PST

2. An awesome view of Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills.

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Twinkling lights, heart to heart, hand in hand, christmas is wonderful time to end this year. Highlight your success, forgive yourself, give thanks, and celebrate!! ?⛄️? . . . #japanillumination #night_gram #globalnightsquad #night_owlz #bestcityintheworld #discovertokyo #cc5k #swpaopen2020 #gaijinpottravel #jalan_travel #tokyocameraclub #roppongihills #tokyotower #tokyooldmeetsnew #retrip_nippon #visitjapanau #artofvisuals #streetshootjapan #street_ninjas

A post shared by Kurnia Wang // クルニア (@wana_in_ruk) on Dec 20, 2019 at 4:30am PST

1. A different perspective at the Kobe Luminarie Illumination.

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A world for all of us. #kobe #luminarie #tiltshift #lensball #lensballphotography #GaijinPotTravel #JapanIllumination

A post shared by David Ramgobin (@fly_plantain_) on Dec 15, 2019 at 1:29am PST

Tag us 

We hope you guys aren’t having as much trouble remembering to write 2020 instead of 2019 on documents as we are. Tag your photo on Instagram with #GaijinPotTravel and #JapanIllumination until Jan. 20 to enter the contest. See you next month!