隅田川とうろう流し（Sumida River Floating lantern Festival）

Forget about sky lanterns, in Japan, we do water floating lanterns instead.

Toro nagashi - floating lantern, is a tradition in which lanterns illuminated with candles are set afloat on rivers to guide the spirits of the ancestors back to the other side during the Obon holiday.

Nowadays, it has become one of the most popular activities around August, when Obon holiday happens. On August 12, thousands of candle-lit lanterns with hand written wishes and messages were released to the water of Sumida River during the 2023 Sumida River Floating Lantern event.

I encountered a number of foreign tourists enjoying the event with the local Japanese people. All kudos to the friendly volunteers who did so well in guiding the participants and controlling the crowd. Our lanterns were set on a waterslide and released to the water, floating on the shimmering surface of Sumida River on a cool summer night. It was indeed mesmerizing and I'm glad I gave it a try.

One can also book a boat trip on the river and watch the view of lanterns coming and floating from both sides. Some special boats allow you to set your lantern from the middle of the river too.

📍 Sumida River Floating Lantern
The event was hosted on both sides of Sumida River but I prefer the Sumida City Hall side, with less people and slower pacing. I could have space and time to watch the lanterns from the closest spot as possible too.

💰 1,500 yen per lantern.
I got my slot and lantern online, so they sent them out to my place prior to the event. You can also buy yours on the spot if they're still available.

🗓️ August 12, 2023
It's an annual event and was announced earlier in July. I got the information and booked through the Sumida City Hall homepage.

Make sure to follow @sumida_official and @sumida_ambassadors for upcoming events in Sumida City.

Footages are all by @yurin_injapan.