Shibuya Blue Cave 2022 is for winter illumination lovers

Shibuya Blue Cave is another of Tokyo’s winter illumination events. It used to be held in Nakameguro but moved to its current location in 2016. I heard that it attracted 2 million visitors in 2021. That was pretty big so I went in 2022 to check it out.

Approximately 600,000 LED lights illuminate the trees from Koen-Dori to Yoyogi Park. When they get turned, the crowd lets out a gasp of delight. You can tell the Japanese love this type of event! But to be honest, most people do.

The blue glow was pretty surreal. Couples flooded the area. Girls took pictures of each other under the trees. It really was photo night. I hoped they like blue, though!

The street becomes a sea of mobile phones to take them.  While I was there, I only counted four cameras.  By that, I mean mirrorless and DSLRs.  There might have been more, but I didn’t see them.

Shibuya Blue Cave is a good Tokyo holiday season event.  More people seem to attend it than other similar events in the city.  I think the photos probably show this.

Where is Shibuya Blue Cave?

It’s next to NHK Hall, between Shibuya and Yoyogi Park.  The closest subway/train stations are:

  1. Harajuku
  2. Shibuya
  3. Yoyogi-Koen

Is there a map with this information?  Yes, click here to see it on Google Maps.

When is it?

It starts at 5 PM and finishes at 10 PM. Blue Cave will finish on December 25, 2022.  

Camera gear used for this article:

  • Body: Fujifilm X-T3
  • Lens: Fujifilm XF f2 35mm
Picture of Rohan Gillett
Rohan Gillett

Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.

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