Japanese Light Festival Brings Fall Foliage to Life in the Dead of Winter

For those who wish that the fantastic displays of fall foliage could last all year round, there’s a festival in Japan that aims to recreate the autumnal magic with lights—no matter the season.

Nabana no Sato is an annual winter festival at Japan’s Nagashima hot spring resort and one of the country’s largest light displays.

This year, more than 8 million lights were strung up to create displays for this year’s theme, “the beauty of mother nature.”

The main attraction is a gigantic, 98-foot-tall tunnel that changes color to reflect the changing of the leaves every autumn. The walk through is a completely immersive experience which includes music.

Outside of the tunnel, there are displays depicting the majesty of five different places on the planet including Monument Valley in the United States, Antarctica, Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia and Japan’s tanada, or rice terraces.

It takes thousands of workers four months to install the intricate displays, the resort’s spokesperson told CNN. Last year the park received 2 million visitors, the majority of which were domestic. But, according to the park, the number of foreign tourists is growing every year.

The lights are on display through May 7. For those who miss the lights, the resort is also famous for its elaborate springtime flower blooms and for being the home of one of Japan’s largest amusement parks. Nagashima Resort is a 20-minute bus or train ride from Kintentsu Railway’s Nagoya and Nagashima stations.

Scroll down for photos from this and previous year's light festivals.