The 2023 Yokohama Chinatown Lantern Festival: One Lantern, Connecting the Sentiments of Two Countries

On the Lantern Festival night of February 5, 2023, Yokohama Chinatown in Japan was transformed into a stage for a spectacular light show. Thousands of lanterns lit up the streets and alleys, serving as a vivid embodiment of cultural exchange between China and Japan. As a Chinatown with a history of over 160 years, the Lantern Festival celebration here has long become a iconic cultural event in the local area.

Above the main street, two 20 - meter - long dragon lanterns were particularly eye - catching. With bamboo frames wrapped in fire - retardant silk cloth, thousands of LED lamp beads outlined the patterns of dragon scales. When the breeze blew, the dragon bodies seemed to be swimming in the night sky. In front of the shops on both sides, round palace lanterns and rabbit - shaped zodiac lanterns were arranged in a scattered way. The surfaces of the lanterns were hand - painted by Chinese craftsmen with fragments of the Along the River During the Qingming Festival and cherry - blossom elements, ingeniously integrating traditional and local cultures.

Under the lanterns, it was extremely lively. There were long queues in front of Chinese food stores, and the freshly - cooked glutinous rice balls were steaming. The students from Yokohama Chinese School shuttled through the crowd with self - made small lanterns, and the clear laughter was interwoven with the sound of gongs and drums. The Yamada couple, tourists from Osaka, held cameras to take pictures of the dragon lanterns, saying, "It's the first time we've seen such delicate Chinese lanterns. It's like walking into a fairy - tale world."

Yu Kai, the vice-chairman of the Yokohama Chinatown Development Council, said that the lanterns carry the nostalgia of the Chinese people and also allow the Japanese people to experience the charm of Chinese culture. The three-day lantern fair attracted more than 400,000 participants. In the bright lights, the people of the two countries shared the joy of reunion, making the bond of cultural exchange even stronger.