Tokyo Tower lights up with hope in first-ever event celebrating Chinese New Year

It’s the first time in the tower’s history for such an event to happen.

New Years in Japan has come and gone, but February 12 is the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year. In celebration, Tokyo Tower will be lit up in red to not only ring in the Chinese New Year, but to strengthen the friendship between the two countries. The gesture is a way of Japan sending congratulatory wishes to China for the new year, and also of expressing love and appreciation for Chinese people living in Japan. This year is the fourth year that Tokyo Tower has lit up in red and the event is usually a big affair, with performances, food stands and traditional lion dancing.

▼ A video from last year’s Chinese New Year celebrations

With Tokyo still under a government-declared state of emergency, however, the event has had to be scaled back this year, with the festival vibes put on hold. But that doesn’t mean it won’t still be a spectacle worth seeing. This year, the Tokyo Tower Red Light-Up Committee have decided to add a little something extra; the kanji 希望 (kibou in Japanese, xīwàng in Chinese), meaning ‘hope’ will be projected onto the windows of the observatory deck in the tower. This will be the first time since Tokyo Tower was built back in 1957 that two kanji will have been projected onto it, making it a historic event.

The kanji for hope were chosen for a number of reasons: the hope that the coronavirus pandemic will end soon, the hope that the friendship between Japan and China will deepen and the hope that a certain major upcoming event happening in Tokyo will go ahead smoothly.

The tower will be lit on February 11 between 6:30 p.m. and 12 p.m., with a special ceremony starting beforehand at 6 p.m. The event will take place in CLUB333, an event area on the main observatory deck in the tower. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, as the event will be broadcast live on Tokyo Tower’s official YouTube channel, so wherever you are in the world, you can get a little piece of hope.

▼ Watch the tower light up here — don’t forget to set a reminder!

It’s going to be a beautiful event not to be missed, but don’t be surprised if the hosts are a little out of breath at the lighting ceremony if Tokyo Tower’s elevator is still out of use.

Source, images: PR Times
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