Every winter places set themselves aglow with illuminations as part of the festive mood for Christmas and New Year's.
Major shopping malls and amusement parks in particular go out of their way to put up dazzling arrays, and in recent years people have likewise taken to decorating their homes and gardens.
Illuminations may be widespread now, but the nation does not have a long history of the activity. And while the practice continues to spread, this year is seeing restraints placed on power consumption amid the nuclear crisis and reactor shutdowns at most of the nation's atomic plants.