Hamamatsu Lantern

Hamamatsu Lantern is a hands-on event at Hamamatsu Castle Park in Hamamatsu, run by the Japan e-Lantern Association. Participants gather on the central lawn and raise lanterns together into the night sky on a countdown.

Rather than traditional paper sky lanterns lit by an open flame, the event uses a flameless LED type under a washi paper shade. The lanterns are buoyed by helium gas and attached to a string so they can be recovered after launch, an approach the organizers describe as balancing safety with environmental responsibility. Participants can write wishes on them.