Hiroshima Family Fun

For more than two decades, Hiroshima has held Dreamination every winter. Downtown is transformed with around 500 figures and tunnels made from a million and a half LED lights. Dreamination has become one of the winter events the city is most renowned for, attracting thousands of people. After an inauguration, the lights turn on every evening from mid November to early January. Best of all, the entire display is completely free. What is Dreamination? Dreamination is all about celebrating fairytales. Although it’s a winter event, you’ll see many figures you don’t normally associate with the season, such as whales, trains, and phoenixes. You’re welcome to walk right up close to these displays — in fact, they’re great for taking selfies. If you’re coming with your partner, the romantic spots are particularly ideal photo opportunities. For instance, look out for hearts hanging from the trees. In addition to marveling at each of the illuminated figures individually, it’s worth following the story they collectively tell. Each year has a different theme and backstory — in 2023, the theme is Fairyland, but the exact story is still to be released. It’s usually possible to find a translation from the Japanese into English. In…