Nara Togakan Festival 2026: Candles & Magic in Nara Park
Kansai · NaraIllumination
Twenty thousand candles set out across nine sites in Nara Park for ten nights every August, watched by roughly 850,000 people.
Overview
Nara Tokae (なら灯花会) fills Nara Park with candlelight for ten consecutive nights in early August. The name refers to toka, the flower-shaped bead of wax that forms at a wick tip — traditionally read as a sign of good luck.
It is run by an NPO with the help of more than 2,000 volunteer “supporters” each year, who handle lighting, extinguishing and cup collection nightly. 2026 was the 28th edition and drew a cumulative audience of over 850,000 across the ten nights. The event is carbon-offset using J-Credits from Nara Prefecture forests.
When and Where
Dates: 5–14 August 2026, ten consecutive nights. Fixed to 5–14 August every year.
Hours: candles lit 19:00–21:30 nightly.
Venues: nine sites across the Nara Park area — Kofuku-ji; Sarusawa Pond and the Fifty-Two Steps; the front of the Nara National Museum; Ukimido; Asajigahara Garden; Ukigumo Garden; the Nara Kasugano International Forum Iraka; and Ishi-akari no Komichi. Todai-ji’s Kagami-ike is lit on 13 and 14 August only, and the Kasuga Taisha approach on 14 August only.
Getting There
Kintetsu-Nara Station is about five to ten minutes on foot from the Sarusawa Pond and Kofuku-ji venues; JR Nara Station is about twenty minutes. For the outlying venues, take a city bus from Kintetsu-Nara Station (bay 1, outside the northwest exit) or JR Nara Station (bay 2, east side) on the Kasuga Taisha Honden, city loop or Takabatakecho routes.
Useful stops: Himuro Jinja / Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan-mae for the National Museum; Daibutsuden Kasuga Taisha-mae for Ukigumo Garden and Todai-ji; Kasuga Taisha Omotesando for Asajigahara and Ukimido.
There is no dedicated car or motorbike parking, and traffic restrictions run through the period.
What to Expect
Over 20,000 candles are lit across the nine venues each night. The character varies considerably by site: Sarusawa Pond gives you Kofuku-ji’s five-storey pagoda reflected above the candle field, Ukigumo Garden is open lawn, and Ishi-akari no Komichi is a narrow lit path. Walking two or three venues in an evening is more rewarding than trying to see all nine.
Because the lighting window is only two and a half hours, the crowds concentrate. The two nights when Todai-ji’s Kagami-ike is included, 13 and 14 August, are the busiest.
Tickets and Admission
Free to view. The “Ikkyaku Itto” participatory candle-lighting at Ukigumo Garden is a paid add-on; the price is not published on the official site. In 2026 the reception point for it was moved to the east side of Ukigumo Garden.
Tips for Visitors
Tripods are banned outright. The organisers cite danger in the crowds, so plan for handheld low-light shooting.
Come by train and bus. There is no event parking and illegal parking causes severe congestion around the park.
Carry your rubbish out. Nara Park has no bins because the free-roaming deer eat discarded plastic. Feed the deer nothing except shika-senbei.
Access and Map
| Dates | 5–14 August 2026 (fixed annually) |
|---|---|
| Hours | 19:00–21:30 nightly |
| Venues | Nine sites across Nara Park, Nara City |
| Access | Kintetsu-Nara Station approx. 5–10 min walk; JR Nara Station approx. 20 min; city buses to outlying venues |
| Admission | Free. “Ikkyaku Itto” candle-lighting at Ukigumo Garden is paid (price not published). |
| Official site | Nara Tokae (English) |
Source: Nara Tokae official site
Also: Nara City Tourist Association
Image: Photo: Karuchiru / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
