Bamboo lanterns are seen in front of Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu's Kokurakita Ward on Oct. 23, 2021. (Mainichi/Kotaro Yamada) =Click/tap photo for more images.

       KITAKYUSHU -- Some 30,000 bamboo lanterns are adorning Kokura Castle and the surrounding area in this southwest Japan city.

       Citizen volunteers made about 23,000 bamboo lanterns and some 7,000 bamboo paper lanterns for the third edition of the Kokura Castle Takeakari (bamboo light) festival, using bamboo in abandoned forests in the city to help Kitakyushu's "Sustainable Development Goals Future City" initiative. The volunteer members also light the candles in the lanterns during the event, which will continue until Oct. 31.

       Business hour restrictions on eateries due to the coronavirus pandemic have been lifted, and on the festival's first day on Oct. 23, many visitors were seen taking photos with smartphones.

       The lanterns are lit between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and admission is 500 yen (about $4.40) for people of junior high school age and older.

       (Japanese original by Kotaro Yamada, Kyushu News Department)

       In Photos: Southwest Japan castle lit up with 30,000 bamboo lanterns

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