Illumination fantastically reveals privately-owned Kayabuki houses (6:30 p.m., January 26, Kayabuki-no-sato, Miyama-cho Kita, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture)

"Yukitouro in Kayabuki-no-sato, Miyama," or an event where a community of thatch-roofed houses called "Kayabuki" are illuminated with snow lanterns in Miyama-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, started on January 26. Warm lights lit up the mountain village covered with fresh snow, and visitors enjoyed the fantastic winter scene.

The event was sponsored by an executive committee consisting of the preservation group "Kitamura Kayabuki-no-sato Hozonkai," the promotion association "Chii Shinkokai," and others. The event was held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and ran until February 2. The village, along with 20 privately-owned Kayabuki houses, was lit up with more than 500 lanterns.

The snowfall measured approximately 20 centimeters in the morning, as if timed to match the event's opening. When the lanterns were lit after sunset, privately-owned Kayabuki houses with their thick blankets of snow emerged in a glow. Many visitors, coming not only from Japan, but other countries, including Taiwan and China, took pictures and enjoyed making snow lanterns. Street stalls such as "Botan-nabe," or a wild boar hotpot, were lined up and fireworks were also set off.