There’s never a bad time to take a look at the Crow Castle, but this winter is an especially good one.

Pretty much every castle in Japan is cool, but Matsumoto Castle, in the city of Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, is one of the coolest. Not only is it an original castle with sections that have been standing since 1594, its surrounding moat makes for beautiful reflections of the towers and outer walls in the tranquil water.

While many Japanese castle exteriors are covered in bright white plaster, Matsumoto Castle’s distinctive black wooden paneling has earned it the nickname “Crow Castle.” This winter, though, the Crow Castle is getting some dazzling doses of nighttime color.

As part of a public art project with Tokyo Lighting Design and Tokyo-based Venus Laser, Matsumoto Castle will become the canvas for a laser mapping light display. The event, called Matsumoto Castle-Shimmering Ice Crystal Water Mirror, will be taking place nightly with a performance of light and music consisting of three main parts: Present (pictured above), Past…

…and Future.

Each section lasts roughly three minutes, and in between, as a sort of cool-down, is the Ice Crystal motif.

▼ Video of the Future portion and its stirring music

The entire presentation lasts roughly 25 minutes, with starting times every 30 minutes between 6 and 8:30 p.m. Also, to celebrate the start of 2022, until January 15 there’s a special Oshogatsu (New Year’s) light display mixed in as well.

▼ The Oshogatsu lighting features an auspicious red-and-white color scheme and imagery of blossoming flowers and drifting clouds.

The organizers are also promising a special Valentine’s Day light-up between February 6 and 14 for couples who love not only each other, but castles too.

Admission to the Matsumoto Castle park is free, and the light-ups will be going on until February 28.

Castle information
Matsumoto Castle / 松本城
Address: Nagano-ken, Matsumoto-shi, Marunouchi 4-1
長野県松本市丸の内４−１
Website

Source, images: PR Times
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