Tokyo Mega Illumination

This seasonal light-up event at Oi Racecourse lives up to its name. Occupying the central area of the racecourse, Tokyo Mega Illumination has everything you would want from a light-up event, with added horses.

Unlike a lot of other illumination events based around shopping areas and malls, Tokyo Mega Illumination is not free. If you book in advance, tickets are ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for children. If you lack the ability or interest to plan ahead, the cost is ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500.

Spread over a huge area, with multiple themes and zones, Tokyo Mega Illumination is a better option during the COVID-19 pandemic as it’s all outdoors, there is ample room, and it’s relatively easy to avoid close contact with others.

Aside from the illuminations, there is plenty of food and other entertainment depending on the day. Behind the stands, there are plenty of food trucks, and the food outlets within the stands are also open. Being a place where they race horses (you can tell from the pungent aroma of horse poo), there is horse based entertainment on most nights as well—from photos with small horses, through to giant Clydesdale horses.

Check the calendar before you visit as there are plenty of days when the illuminations are closed. In December, the illuminations are closed from the 7th to the 11th, on the 24th and 25th, and from the 28th to the 31st. In January, the no-go day is new year’s day.

If you’re coming from the Omori or Oimachi side, don’t follow Google Maps as it will send you to the main entrance. Instead, make sure you head to the north entrance, which is on the north-east corner of the racecourse.