Nabana no Sato Illumination 2026: Dates, Tickets & Access

The Nabana no Sato illumination 2026 season runs from Saturday 17 October 2026 to Monday 31 May 2027, with the park closed on 6 and 7 January 2027. Adult tickets cost ¥2,500–¥3,200 depending on the date and include a ¥1,000 voucher to spend inside the park plus entry to the Begonia Garden; from Nagoya it takes about 30 minutes by direct bus or around 35–40 minutes by Kintetsu train and a 10-minute shuttle.

This is the 23rd edition, and the new theme area is called “Yasei no Rakuen” (Wild Paradise): a 10½-minute light-and-sound show that runs from dinosaurs to savanna animals, whales and a giant waterfall. Several big English listings still show last winter’s dates and prices, so everything below comes from the official Nabana no Sato illumination page, its fee page และ access page, and the transport operators, checked on 2 November 2026.

What is new at the Nabana no Sato illumination 2026–27?

Nabana no Sato is a flower park on Nagashima, a river island in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, run by the same company as Nagashima Spa Land. Its winter light-up is one of the biggest in Japan, and each season it rebuilds one large theme area. According to Mie Prefecture’s official tourism site, the 2026–27 theme area is Wild Paradise (野生の楽園).

The show is a panoramic light-and-sound sequence of about 10 minutes 30 seconds. It starts on a prehistoric Earth with giant dinosaurs, moves through savanna wildlife and whales in the sea, and ends at a giant waterfall. There are square, photo-frame style spots inside the area for pictures.

Golden Safari: the new area in the Flower Plaza

New this season is Golden Safari (ゴールデンサファリ) in the Hana Hiroba (Flower Plaza). It mixes champagne-gold lights, an oasis, life-size animal figures and real seasonal flowers. The official page lists cosmos from October to mid-November, tulips from late March to mid-April and nemophila from late April to mid-May.

The classics that come back every year

• Hana Kairo (華回廊): the 200 m tunnel of petal-shaped lights. This is the shot most people come for.
• Hikari no Taiga (光の大河): a water illumination that Nabana calls one of the largest in Japan, with lights that change with the music.
• Twin Tree: two light trees switched on to the sound of the chapel bell.
• Begonia Garden after dark: a sound-and-light show inside the greenhouse after the lights come on, from 21 November to 22 December and from 26 December to 28 February (a Christmas version runs on 23–25 December).
• Kagami-ike (Mirror Pond): lit autumn leaves reflected in the water, from about late November to late December.

Later in the season, the park lights up Kawazu cherry and weeping plum trees (about late February to late March) and tulips (about late March to late April). These “about” dates are the park’s own estimates on the official illumination page; flowers follow the weather.

How much are Nabana no Sato illumination 2026 tickets?

Prices change four times over the season. Every ticket includes a ¥1,000 voucher for food and shopping inside the park plus entry to the Begonia Garden, so the real cost of the lights is lower than it looks. Children under elementary-school age are free. Prices below are adult prices from the official fee page.

Dates (2026–27)	Convenience-store ticket	At the gate	Included
17 Oct–20 Nov	¥2,500	¥2,700	¥1,000 voucher + Begonia Garden
21 Nov–22 Dec	¥3,000	¥3,200	¥1,000 voucher + Begonia Garden (with evening sound-and-light show)
23–25 Dec (Christmas)	Date-specific advance ticket; price not yet announced	¥5,500, only if tickets remain	¥2,000 voucher + Begonia Garden
26 Dec–28 Feb	¥3,000	¥3,200	¥1,000 voucher + Begonia Garden (with evening sound-and-light show)
1 Mar–31 May	¥2,500	¥2,500	¥1,000 voucher + Begonia Garden

Buy at a convenience store, not at the gate

Tickets are sold at FamilyMart and 7-Eleven, and they are ¥200 cheaper there for most of the season. The bigger reason is time: the park warns that issuing a ticket at the window can take 30 minutes or more. A ticket bought at a convenience store on the day can be used the same day without swapping it at the gate.

What the ¥1,000 voucher covers

The voucher (kinken) works like cash at the park’s shops and restaurants. It can only be used inside the park, so plan to spend it there: dinner, a hot drink or souvenirs.

Christmas 23–25 December: special rules

On 23, 24 and 25 December the park is closed until 15:00 and opens only to holders of a date-specific advance ticket. Hours are 15:00–22:00 on the 23rd and 15:00–23:00 on the 24th and 25th. Tickets are limited and sold first come, first served through FamilyMart, 7-Eleven and Asoview; the advance price was still listed as “under consideration” on 2 November 2026. Regular tickets, presale tickets, member benefits and the disability discount cannot be used on these days, and the Kintetsu set ticket below is not sold for them.

What time do the lights come on, and when should you arrive?

The lights come on at sunset, so the time moves through the season. In Nagoya the sun sets at 16:58 on 1 November, 16:44 on 21 November, 16:40 on 1 December and 16:44 on 22 December 2026 (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan). Expect the main switch-on shortly after.

The park itself opens at 10:00. In November 2026 it closes at 21:00 on weekdays and 22:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (3 and 23 November), and ticket sales stop 30 minutes before closing. December and later hours are posted month by month on the official hours calendar. It stays open and lit in the rain.

Plan	Arrive	Why
Catch the switch-on	45–60 min before sunset	Time to walk in, find a spot by the pond and see the park go from day to night
Avoid the crush	After the switch-on wave	The park says crowds peak around lighting time; spreading your visit away from it is smoother
Driving	By 16:00 weekdays, 15:00 weekends	The park’s own advice to beat traffic; leave after 19:00 (weekdays) or 20:00 (weekends)
With a stroller or wheelchair	Before lighting	The park suggests waiting in the Begonia Garden until about 30 minutes after switch-on

For the moment the lights come on, the park’s tips page suggests the Millennium Garden in front of the beer restaurant and the area around the pond. The observation tower runs from lighting until 30 minutes before closing, and stops in bad weather.

How long do you need at Nabana no Sato?

Allow 2 to 2.5 hours to walk the illumination and the Begonia Garden, the estimate given by Mie’s tourism board. Add an hour for dinner, and more if you want the park’s own hot spring, Sato no Yu. Arriving before sunset and leaving after 20:00 makes it a half-day trip.

The tunnel and the theme area are where queues form. Do the tunnel early, then watch the Wild Paradise show and come back through the tunnel later, when the first-wave crowd has moved on. Wet ground after rain gives mirror reflections in the tunnel, so a drizzle is not a reason to cancel.

How do you get to the Nabana no Sato illumination from Nagoya?

There are three practical ways: a direct highway bus from Meitetsu Bus Center, the Kintetsu train plus a 10-minute shuttle bus, or a car. Public transport is what the park recommends, because the roads around Nagashima jam on winter weekends.

Route	Time	Adult fare (one way)	เหมาะสำหรับ
Direct bus: Meitetsu Bus Center → Nabana no Sato	About 30 min (traffic permitting)	¥1,200 (round trip ¥2,400)	Simplicity; no change
Kintetsu Nagoya → Kintetsu Nagashima + Mie Kotsu bus	About 17–25 min train + 10 min bus	Train fare + ¥250 bus	Reliable times; weekdays
Kintetsu train & bus set ticket	As above	¥3,670–¥4,170 return incl. admission	Saving a little and skipping ticket queues
Car	About 30 min from Nagoya by expressway	Parking free (5,700 spaces)	Groups; late return

Option 1: the direct bus from Meitetsu Bus Center

The Nagoya–Nagashima Onsen express bus, run jointly by Meitetsu Bus and Mie Kotsu, stops at Nabana no Sato during the illumination period. Board at Meitetsu Bus Center, 4th floor, stop 22, and buy tickets at the 3rd-floor counter. Meitetsu Bus lists the fare as ¥1,200 one way for adults (¥600 children) and ¥2,400 for a return valid two days.

No reservation is needed, but standing is not allowed on the expressway, so a full bus means waiting for the next one. IC cards work for single rides, but the return discount then does not apply. Some departures skip Nabana no Sato, including the 8:00 from Meitetsu Bus Center, so check the stop before boarding.

One note: the access page on the Nabana no Sato site shows both ¥1,000 and ¥1,200 for this route. We use the operator’s ¥1,200; have a little extra just in case.

Option 2: Kintetsu train plus the shuttle bus

From Kintetsu Nagoya, next to JR Nagoya Station, take a Kintetsu Nagoya Line train to Kintetsu Nagashima. Semi-express and local trains always stop there; the semi-express takes about 25 minutes. Express trains normally pass through, but for the illumination they make extra stops (about 17 minutes from Nagoya) on weekend and holiday timetable days from 31 October 2026 to 11 January 2027, and on 23–25 December, according to the joint Kintetsu, Mie Kotsu and Nagashima Kanko Kaihatsu release.

From the station, Mie Kotsu’s Nagashima Nabana no Sato Line bus takes about 10 minutes and costs ¥250 (children ¥130), with IC cards accepted. It runs one to three times an hour: from the station 9:50–19:50 on weekdays and 9:53–20:30 on weekends and holidays, with return buses from the park timed to its closing hour. The weekend timetable applies from 30 December to 4 January.

Two traps. The usual Kuwana Station bus does not run during the illumination season, so change at Kintetsu Nagashima instead (Kintetsu Kuwana is one stop, about 5 minutes, away). And if you arrive at JR Nagashima, you have to walk over to the Kintetsu station for the bus.

The Kintetsu train & bus set ticket

Kintetsu sells a discount set that bundles a return train ticket, a return Mie Kotsu bus ticket, park admission with Begonia Garden and the ¥1,000 voucher. From Kintetsu Nagoya it costs ¥3,670 for adults in the cheaper price band (mid-October to 20 November, and March to May) and ¥4,170 in the winter band (Tetsudo Channel summarising the joint release). It is valid for two consecutive days and sold at the limited-express ticket counters of major Kintetsu stations.

Buy it at the counter at Kintetsu Nagoya before you board. It is not sold for 23–25 December, and it skips the ticket window at the park, which is where the 30-minute waits happen.

Option 3: driving

Parking is free for cars, with about 5,700 spaces. The park recommends Route 23 and the Isewangan Expressway, and warns that Route 1 and the Higashi-Meihan Expressway are expected to jam. For the drive home, it suggests heading south along the Ibi–Nagara river embankment to rejoin the Isewangan Expressway.

Can you combine Nabana no Sato with Nagashima Spa Land and the outlets?

Yes, and it is the best way to use the day. Nabana no Sato, Nagashima Spa Land, the Yuami no Shima hot springs and Mitsui Outlet Park Jazz Dream Nagashima all sit on the same island. Buses between Nagashima Onsen (the Spa Land side) and Nabana no Sato take about 15 minutes and cost ¥550 one way for adults, according to the official access page.

สถานที่	Hours (November 2026)	Fits the evening?
Nagashima Spa Land	Mostly 9:30–16:30	Morning and early afternoon, then bus to Nabana
Yuami no Shima (hot springs)	9:30–21:00 weekdays; to 23:00 on weekends and some holidays	A soak after the lights, if you are staying nearby
Jazz Dream Nagashima (outlets)	Shops 10:00–20:00; food court to 21:00	Shop until mid-afternoon, then head over

Spa Land’s December and New Year hours were not yet posted on 2 November 2026; check the Nagashima Resort hours page before you go, and note that the theme park has maintenance closures.

A simple Nagashima day plan

• 10:00–14:00: Nagashima Spa Land or the Jazz Dream outlets (direct bus from Meitetsu Bus Center).
• 15:00–15:30: bus from Nagashima Onsen to Nabana no Sato (about 15 minutes). Look at the flowers and the Begonia Garden in daylight.
• Sunset: switch-on. Tunnel first, then the Wild Paradise show.
• 18:30: dinner inside the park using your ¥1,000 voucher.
• 20:00 onwards: bus back to Nagoya or the Kintetsu station.

Pairing it with Nagoya

If you are based in Nagoya, spend the morning in the city and leave around 15:00. Our things to do in Nagoya guide covers the castle, Osu and the station area, and Ghibli Park makes a good separate day. Nagoya is on the Tokaido Shinkansen, so the illumination also works as a stopover between Tokyo and Kyoto; see our Tokyo to Kyoto guide.

When is the best time to see the Nabana no Sato illumination 2026?

It depends on what you want. Mid-October to 20 November is the cheapest period and has cosmos in the Golden Safari area, but no evening show in the Begonia Garden. From 21 November the price rises by ¥500 and the Begonia Garden show starts; late November to late December also adds the lit autumn leaves at the Mirror Pond.

December weekends and the Christmas days are the busiest. January and February are the coldest and usually quieter, with the full price and shows still running; just avoid 6–7 January, when the park is closed. From March, prices drop again and the plum, cherry and tulip light-ups take over.

Doing more than one light-up this winter? Compare with our guides to Tokyo illuminations 2026 และ Osaka illumination 2026.

Nabana no Sato illumination 2026 FAQ

Sources and how we checked

All dates, prices, hours and bus details were checked on 2 November 2026 against the official Nabana no Sato illumination page, its fee page, access page และ hours calendar, the Mie Prefecture tourism site, Meitetsu Bus, the joint Kintetsu and Mie Kotsu release and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. The Christmas advance-ticket price and December hours had not been published yet; check the official pages before you go.