Nijo Castle Summer Light-Up by NAKED 2024
NAKED Summer Festival 2024 at Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site in Kyoto
© 2024 NAKED,INC.
Japan’s summer bursts with vibrant festivals, sizzling street food, and cool escapes to mountains or beaches. It’s a time for colorful matsuri, dancing under lanterns, and indulging in refreshing treats like kakigori and somen noodles. Japan’s summer promises a blend of tradition, nature, and delicious eats to enjoy. And one of the best places to soak on Japanese tradition is Kyoto, the old capital of the country.
While Kyoto boasts a wealth of historical treasures, including ancient temples and shrines, there’s one gem often overlooked in guidebooks: Nijo Castle. Built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence for Japan’s first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Nijo Castle stands out from the city’s temples and shrines with its unique allure and picturesque garden. Particularly enchanting in spring, it’s renowned as one of Kyoto’s top spots for cherry blossom viewing, boasting 300 wild and cultivated Japanese cherry trees representing 50 varieties.
NAKED Inc. is well-known for its interactive digital art exhibition that has been involved in a variety of events that cross various fields centered on digital art. In recent years they have been doing temporary events in collaboration with iconic buildings in Japan, as a projection mapping of the Tokyo Station Building and the Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo or at the Heian Shrine and Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
Following their successful event in Spring 2024 with NAKED FLOWERS 2024 Cherry Blossoms at Nijo Castle, the creative company Naked is back with the Naked Summer Festival 2024 at Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This time, they’re pulling out all the stops, offering visitors an exclusive preview of the main palace of Nijo Castle, which will open to the public for the first time in 18 years come September 2024. Through captivating projection displays on the castle’s inner moat, attendees will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich history and enchanting allure of this historic landmark.
NAKED Summer Festival 2024 at Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site will be held from July 26th (Friday) to August 25th (Sunday), 2024, feature fireworks and animal projection papping. Japanese famous Kakigori (shaved ice) will be also available to buy at food stalls inside the castle!
In the projection mapping show Yoimiya-ezu, the animals in the wall painted created by the Kano school, Japan’s largest painting school, will be projected alongside fireworks, bringing them to life in vibrant colors.This dynamic display will adorn the approximately 75-meter stone wall with stunning imagery, adding an extra layer of excitement to the event.