Light Cycles Kyoto
An Immersive Winter Illumination at Kyoto Botanical Garden
As winter deepens and Kyoto’s nights grow longer, the Kyoto Botanical Garden transforms into a landscape of shimmering light and sound. The event, titled “Light Cycles Kyoto,” is an immersive illumination experience created by Moment Factory, the Montréal-based creative studio behind world-renowned multimedia environments.
Blending art, technology, and ecology into one living canvas
Unlike conventional illuminations, Light Cycles Kyoto emphasizes harmony over spectacle — the meeting point of innovation and nature’s quiet intelligence. The result is a dreamlike journey through the city’s oldest botanical garden, where trees, light, and sound breathe together in winter’s still air.
Through what has been called the company’s “technology of wonder,” visitors are invited into an extraordinary world where the beauty and fragrance of diverse plants resonate with light and music. The installation reveals the mysterious connections among trees and flowers, guiding guests to sense a deeper connection with nature through all five senses. More than a spectacle, it is an experience that inspires curiosity about the natural world and transforms the garden into a place of learning and discovery.
Walking along the illuminated paths, light projections ripple across trunks and branches like flowing water; mist drifts through the air, catching shifting hues; and the entire landscape pulses in rhythm with an original soundscape inspired by Kyoto’s four seasons. Each area of the garden presents a different theme — “INVISIBLE,” “MEMORY OF WATER,” “LIGHT WILL FIND YOU,” and “FOREST FREQUENCIES” —
LIGHT CYCLES KYOTO
Until March 31; At Kyoto Botanical Garden; Hours: 18:00–21:30 (last entry 20:00);
Admission ticket prices vary depending on the date of visit. For details, refer to the ticket reservation page; Access: Subway Karasuma Line to Kitayama Station.