Midosuji Illumination 2026:
Dates, Hours and Where It Runs
Update 2026-11-04: Midosuji Illumination 2026 entered its lighting period on Tuesday 3 November (a public holiday). The lights are on every day until Thursday 31 December, from around 5 pm to 1 am (checked on the official Osaka Festival of Lights website on 4 November 2026).
When is the Midosuji Illumination 2026, and what time does it light up? According to the official information as of 2 November 2026, it runs from Tuesday 3 November (a national holiday) to Thursday 31 December 2026, and the trees are lit from around 17:00 until 25:00, which is 1am the following morning. The lights cover about 4km of Midosuji, Osaka's main north–south avenue, from the Hanshin-mae intersection in Umeda (Kita Ward) down to the Namba Nishiguchi intersection (Chuo Ward). Details can change, so check the official site before you go.
I am Korean and run three Korean bars in Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Osaka. This page gathers the practical details in one place: dates, hours, which colours you will see where, and how to fit the walk into an evening.
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Midosuji Illumination 2026 at a glance
Everything in this table comes from the official announcements by Osaka City and the Osaka Festival of the Lights (大阪・光の饗宴), as they stood on 2 November 2026.
| Item | Official details for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Tuesday 3 November (national holiday) to Thursday 31 December 2026, 59 days |
| Lighting hours | From around 17:00 until 25:00 (1am the next morning) |
| Where | Midosuji, from the Hanshin-mae intersection (Kita Ward, Osaka) to the Namba Nishiguchi intersection (Chuo Ward, Osaka) |
| Length | About 4km, running from Umeda in the north to Namba in the south |
| 2026 concept | “LINK: light moves the city” (LINK ー光が都市を動かすー) |
| Part of | Osaka Festival of the Lights 2026, 3 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 (90 days) |
The Midosuji Illumination is one of the two core programmes of the Osaka Festival of the Lights. The other, OSAKA Hikari no Renaissance 2026 (OSAKA光のルネサンス), takes place from Friday 11 December to Friday 25 December 2026 around Osaka City Hall and Nakanoshima Park, with times that vary by programme; we will cover it in a separate guide.
According to the Festival of the Lights official site, Midosuji was recognised in January 2015 as a world record holder for the street with the most roadside trees decorated with illuminations.
Five colour zones, from north to south
The route is split into five zones, and each one takes a different era as its theme. Walking from Umeda towards Namba, the colours change in this order:
| Zone (north to south) | Colour | Era it represents |
|---|---|---|
| North area | Candle | 1940s–1950s |
| Semba area 1 | Champagne gold | 1960s–1970s |
| Semba area 2 | Mixed colours | 1980s–1990s |
| South area 1 | “Water city” blue mix | 2000s–2010s |
| South area 2 | White with a five-colour mix | 2020s onwards |
The official announcements do not name the exact intersections where one zone hands over to the next, so we have not guessed them here. If you walk the full length, you move from the oldest decade in the north to the present day in the south.
The interactive show at Kita-Mido
Alongside the trees, there is an interactive light show called “Move, and you connect” (動くと、つながる). It is held at Hongwanji Tsumura Betsuin, the temple better known as Kita-Mido, and runs from around 17:00 until 23:00, two hours before the avenue lights switch off.
- No show from 17 to 24 November 2026.
- No show on 11 December 2026.
If the Kita-Mido show is on your list, make sure your evening is not on one of those dates, and get there before 23:00.
How to walk the Midosuji Illumination
There is no single right way round. Two simple approaches:
- North to south, from Umeda. Start at the Hanshin-mae intersection and head south. This way the colour zones come in their intended order, from candle light through to the present-day white mix, and you finish in the Namba area.
- Join in the middle, at Shinsaibashi or Namba. Shinsaibashi Station and Namba Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line both sit underneath Midosuji, inside the illuminated stretch. Come up from either station and you are already among the lit trees, so you can walk just the section you want.
Timing is easy in November. Going by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, sunset in Osaka is 16:59 on 8 November, 16:54 on the 15th, 16:50 on the 22nd and 16:47 on the 30th, so by the time the lights come on around 17:00, the sun is already down.
Two sample evenings: open at 21:00, lit until 25:00
Our bars open at 21:00 and the trees stay lit until 25:00, which leaves you two natural ways to shape the night. Neither is a fixed schedule; adjust to your own pace.
Evening A: the lights first, then a drink from 21:00
- Have dinner in the early evening. The lights are already on from around 17:00.
- Walk a stretch of Midosuji. If you want to see Kita-Mido, go there first, as its show ends at 23:00.
- Finish around Shinsaibashi or Namba. From Midosuji, Higashi-Shinsaibashi is a short walk to the east.
- Head in for a drink at 21:00, when our three bars open.
Evening B: a drink first, then the lights before 25:00
- Eat, then start in Higashi-Shinsaibashi at 21:00. Have a first round at one of our bars.
- Step out to Midosuji afterwards. It is a short walk west, and the trees stay lit until 25:00 (1am).
- Walk the stretch around Shinsaibashi and Namba, then carry on with your night. Our bars are open until 05:00.
In Evening B the Kita-Mido show will most likely be over, since it ends at 23:00. Choose Evening A if that show matters to you.
After the lights: our bars in Higashi-Shinsaibashi
The idea is simple: walk under the lights on Midosuji, then cross a few streets east to Higashi-Shinsaibashi for a drink from 21:00. All three bars are on upper floors of buildings in Higashi-Shinsaibashi 2-chome, a short walk from one another, and you can reach them on foot from Shinsaibashi Station and from Namba Station. In every one you will find Korean staff, K-POP on the speakers, and soju, makgeolli and somaek to drink.
We do not serve food, so have dinner before your walk along Midosuji and come to us once you have eaten. We are open every day of the year from 21:00 to 05:00, and you can walk in without booking; if you would like to reserve or ask something first, call or send an Instagram DM. You can pay by card or in cash. Entry is for ages 20 and over, and if you drink, please leave the car or bike at home. Each bar has a 4.9 rating on Google Maps: HEAVEN from 2,844 reviews, SARANG from 678 and 韓国バーMOON from 380 (figures as of September 2026).
| What kind of night you want | Bar | Inside, you will find |
|---|---|---|
| A quiet talk for two, or a drink alone | SARANG | Somewhere quiet to drink and talk: fully non-smoking, counter seats for the most part, no karaoke |
| Sharing a shisha and taking your time | 韓国バーMOON | Shisha in lounge seats, karaoke if you want it, and smoking is allowed inside |
| Out with friends and ready to sing | HEAVEN | Karaoke, free darts, and smoking is allowed inside |
If you are hoping to take over a whole bar for a group, HEAVEN holds up to 30 people, SARANG up to 20 and 韓国バーMOON about 15, at a special rate; ask us by Instagram DM. Still deciding which bar suits you? Use our bar chooser: answer a few short questions and it suggests one.
HEAVEN
Karaoke, darts free to play and smoking allowed indoors; made for friends who want to sing.
5F Galaxy Building No.3, 2-4-19 Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Open in Google MapsMOON
Shisha and lounge seats, karaoke available, smoking allowed indoors; a slow night for two.
3F LUXE Building Naka Room, 2-8-6 Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Open in Google MapsSARANG
Quiet, fully non-smoking, mostly counter seats and no karaoke; for two, or on your own.
Room 206, Gold Center Building, 2-8-12 Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Open in Google Maps
Midosuji Illumination 2026: questions visitors ask
Q. When does the Midosuji Illumination 2026 start and end?
It starts on Tuesday 3 November 2026 and ends on Thursday 31 December 2026, 59 days in total (official information as of 2 November 2026).
Q. What time do the Midosuji lights turn on and off?
They come on around 17:00 and stay on until 25:00, in other words 1am the next morning.
Q. Where exactly does it run?
Along Midosuji from the Hanshin-mae intersection in Kita Ward to the Namba Nishiguchi intersection in Chuo Ward, about 4km from Umeda to Namba. Shinsaibashi Station and Namba Station on the Midosuji Line are within that stretch.
Q. Is the interactive show at Kita-Mido on every night?
No. It runs at Hongwanji Tsumura Betsuin (Kita-Mido) from around 17:00 to 23:00, but there is no show from 17 to 24 November or on 11 December 2026.
Q. Is the illumination on when it rains?
The official information we checked does not say how rain is handled, so look at the official site on the day.
Q. What colours are the lights?
There are five zones, each themed on an era. From north to south: candle, champagne gold, mixed colours, a “water city” blue mix, and white with a five-colour mix.
Q. Can we get dinner at your bars after the illumination?
Our bars serve drinks only, so eat before you come. From 21:00 to 05:00 you can order soju, makgeolli and somaek.
Q. Is there somewhere calm for two after walking Midosuji?
SARANG is a quiet, fully non-smoking bar with mostly counter seats, suited to two people or to someone on their own. For shisha in lounge seats, try 韓国バーMOON.
Dates, lighting hours, route, zone colours and the Kita-Mido show are from the official sites of Osaka City and the Osaka Festival of the Lights (checked on 2 November 2026). Details can change, so check the official site before you go. Sunset times are from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Osaka). Bar information is from Google Maps (as of September 2026).