First-Ever Projection Mapping on Sensoji Temple’s Main Hall: “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” Opens October 30, Runs Through November 3
“ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” will take place from October 30 to November 3, 2026, offering visitors an opportunity to experience approximately 1,400 years of history and culture at Sensoji Temple through light, video projections, gardens, ema votive paintings and dance.
In 2026, projection mapping will be presented on Sensoji Temple’s Main Hall for the first time, with two light shows staged at the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate. The normally closed Denboin Garden, a designated Place of Scenic Beauty, and Ema Hall will also open to the public for five days. Visitors will be able to explore Sensoji’s cultural heritage from daytime into the evening.
At the previous year’s “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2025,” projection mapping attracted more than 150,000 visitors. The event received an Excellence Award at the Projection Mapping Tokyo Awards and a Gold Award at the MUSE Creative Awards 2026. The 2026 edition will expand the program by adding the Main Hall as a new projection venue.
Large Ema Paintings, the Kanbun Engi Scroll and Ukiyo-e Depict 1,400 Years of Sensoji History in Two Projection Shows
Projection mapping will take place on the south-facing sides of Sensoji Temple’s Main Hall and Hozomon Gate from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free, and advance registration is not required. Drawing on large ema votive paintings owned by Sensoji, the illustrated temple-origin scroll known as the Kanbun Engi, and ukiyo-e prints associated with the temple, the projections will depict approximately 1,400 years of history and culture. Different video presentations, each approximately six minutes long, will alternate between the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate. The first presentation will begin at Hozomon Gate, and visitors will follow a one-way viewing route from the gate to the Main Hall.
The projections on the Main Hall will be the first of their kind. Rather than simply using the temple architecture as a screen, the presentations will draw on cultural properties and stories preserved at Sensoji, allowing visitors to encounter the temple’s history at the site itself.
Normally Closed Denboin Garden and Ema Hall Open for Special Viewing, Including Approximately 50 Large Ema Paintings
Another major component alongside projection mapping is the “Sensoji Temple Denboin Garden and Ema Hall Special Viewing.” Denboin Garden and Ema Hall, which are normally closed to the public, will open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ema Hall viewing will end at 4 p.m., with last admission at 3:30 p.m.
Ema Hall houses approximately 50 large ema paintings created by historical artists including Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hasegawa Settan and Henmi (Kano) Isshin. During the event, the original Sensoji Kanbun Engi Emaki, a treasured illustrated scroll of the temple painted by Kano Ujinobu in 1662, will also be displayed.
A reproduction of the Kannon Sutra section of the National Treasure Lotus Sutra (including the opening and closing sutras), also known as the Sensoji Sutra, will be exhibited. Visitors will have an opportunity to view it up close without a display case separating them from the work. A limited number of special viewing tickets are also available with a copy of “Sensoji no Ema,” an illustrated catalog explaining the temple’s principal ema paintings.
Artificial Sea of Clouds at Denboin Garden and Evening Dance Performances at “Kinryu Yakai”
Denboin Garden will feature an artificial sea-of-clouds effect from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Approximately every 30 minutes, mist will envelop the garden for about 10 minutes, allowing visitors to experience changes in the scenery from daytime through evening. The evening-only program “Kinryu Yakai” will begin at 5 p.m. The garden will be illuminated until 9 p.m., accompanied by an original dance performance inspired by Sensoji Temple’s “Golden Dragon Dance.”
Dance performances will take place seven times at 30-minute intervals between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., with each performance lasting approximately five minutes. Special viewing tickets are valid for both daytime and evening admission on a designated date, and re-entry is permitted on that date. Visitors can explore Ema Hall and the garden during the day, then return in the evening for Kinryu Yakai and the projection mapping shows.
Programs Also Include Special Prayers and Visits to Cultural Property Restoration Sites
In 2026, additional small-group programs have been arranged separately from the regular special viewing experience. On the opening day, October 30, a premium program combines participation in a special prayer ceremony beginning at 1 p.m., a small wooden prayer tablet, Kannon incense not normally sold, and special viewing admission.
Programs were also arranged for October 31 and November 1 to visit the conservation and restoration worksite at Sensoji’s Denboin, an Important Cultural Property, accompanied by explanations from specialists. Each session is limited to 10 participants, and the official website indicates that registration has already closed.
A feature of the 2026 program is that it goes beyond viewing cultural properties in their completed state. It also offers experiences related to the temple as a place of prayer and the conservation and restoration processes through which cultural heritage is preserved for the future.
Recognized as a Partner Program of “ARTE TOKYO”
ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026 has been recognized as a partner program of “ARTE TOKYO,” the Tokyo International Cultural and Arts Festival, organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo International Cultural and Arts Festival Organizing Committee.
ARTE TOKYO is an initiative connecting cultural and artistic programs held across Tokyo and encouraging visitors to explore different areas of the city. In Asakusa, the event goes beyond projecting images onto temple architecture. It brings together large ema paintings, illustrated scrolls, gardens, dance, special prayers and cultural property conservation and restoration within a single event.
Visitors can see cultural properties handed down by Sensoji Temple and learn about the stories behind them through video projections and spatial presentations. By offering different experiences during the day and at night, the five-day event presents one approach to staging cultural events at a historic temple.
ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026 Event Overview
Event: ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026 (Asakusa Culture & Lights 2026)
Dates: October 30 (Friday) – November 3 (Tuesday, national holiday), 2026
Venue: Sensoji Temple
Address: 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, TokyoProjection Mapping
Venue: South-facing sides of Sensoji Temple’s Main Hall and Hozomon Gate
Hours: 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Advance registration: Not required
Sensoji Temple Denboin Garden and Ema Hall Special Viewing
Hours: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Ema Hall: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (last admission 3:30 p.m.)
Denboin Garden: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. (last admission 8:30 p.m.)
Artificial sea-of-clouds effect: 9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Kinryu Yakai illumination: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Advance tickets: Adults ¥2,300; elementary and junior high school students ¥800
Same-day tickets: Adults ¥2,500; elementary and junior high school students ¥1,000
Preschool children: Free
Organizer: Asakusa Culture & Lights Organizing Committee
Planning and production: HITOHATA, INC.
Special cooperation: JTB Corp.
ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026 https://www.asakusaculturelights.com/
Related Articles: Projection Mapping
https://micetimes.jp/osaka-hikari-renaissance-2026/
https://micetimes.jp/aichi-nagoya-artlights-2026/
