Sendai Hikari no Pageant: Magical Winter Light Corridor along Jozenji-dori

SENDAI Hikari no Pageant

SENDAI Hikari no Pageant is held along Jozenji-dori (approx. 1km of zelkova tree promenade) in Sendai each December — Tohoku's largest illumination event lighting 1.4 million LEDs on about 600 keyaki trees.

Highlights

• Zelkova LED Illumination: The sight of 600 zelkova trees 15–20m tall ablaze with light
• Light Corridor: Walking through the magical tunnel of trees
• Pedestrian Zone: The street becomes car-free during the event period
• Surrounding Illuminations: Commercial facilities like Sendai Mitsukoshi and Fujisaki also decorated

Event Overview

• Duration: Typically first Saturday of December to December 25
• Lighting Hours: 5:40pm–10:00pm (until midnight on final day)
• Admission: Free

Getting There

• From Subway Namboku Line Kotodai-Koen Station (right on Jozenji-dori)
• 15-minute walk from JR Sendai Station

Tips

Weekdays are relatively uncrowded. Weekends are very busy. Combining a gyutan dinner with the illumination pageant is the perfect Sendai winter evening.

📚 Sources

The illumination of the zelkova-lined Jozenji-dori and the Starlight Wink performance introduced in this article are organized based on tourism and event information published by Sendai City and the Sendai Tourism and Convention Bureau, together with on-site venue guidance. Details on the dates and the lighting performances draw on public information from the organizers. Because dates, lighting times and access may change from year to year, please confirm official information before you visit.

Visitor Checklist

• Time estimate: About 30 minutes to an hour just to walk through the tunnel of light on Jozenji-dori. Allow half a day if you add a stroll and a meal nearby.
• What to prepare: December nights are cold, so warm outerwear is essential. Gloves and a scarf add comfort.
• Best timing: The event usually runs for about two to three weeks in December. A Christmas-season evening is ideal, and catching the Starlight Wink moment is moving.
• Suggested route: It is right by Kotodai-koen Station on the subway Namboku Line. Walk the tree-lined Jozenji-dori, then round it out with Sendai gourmet food or a hot spring.

Practical Information for Your Visit (official information for the most recent edition, held in 2025)

• Dates: 24 days, from Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 28, 2025 (the 40th edition)
• Illumination hours: Monday to Thursday 19:00-22:00 / Friday and Saturday 18:00-22:00 / Sunday 18:00-21:00. Note: on Wednesday, December 24 and Thursday, December 25 the hours are 18:00-22:00
• Starlight Wink: The signature moment when all the lights are switched off and then turned back on again all at once. It takes place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between December 5 and 28, as well as on December 24 and 25, twice per evening: first at 18:30 and again at 19:00. If this is what you are after, visiting between Friday and Sunday is recommended
• Lighting ceremony: December 5, 17:40-18:00 (Jozenji-dori green promenade)
• Venue: Jozenji-dori (from in front of Sendai Mitsukoshi department store on the east side to in front of the Jozenji Garden Hills Guest House on the west side)
• Nearest station: 1 minute on foot from Kotodai-koen Station on the subway Namboku Line (from the west exit of JR Sendai Station, take the subway Namboku Line toward Izumi-Chuo)
• Admission: Free of charge
• Parking: There is no parking for general visitors. Please use a nearby paid car park (tour buses may use the "Sendai Aobayama Exchange Plaza"; reservations are not accepted)
• Toilets: Wheelchair-accessible multipurpose toilets are available at Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi, Sendai Mediatheque, TOKnet Hall Sendai, El Park Sendai and the War Reconstruction Memorial Hall
• In bad weather: Except in unavoidable circumstances such as a disaster, the illumination is lit even in stormy weather (individual events may be cancelled depending on the weather)

* The dates and illumination hours for the December 2026 edition had not been announced at the time this article was written. Please check the official SENDAI Pageant of Starlight website for the latest information.

(Sources: SENDAI Pageant of Starlight official website)