Imari Candle Christmas 2026 will be held in Okawachiyama (大川内山), Imari City, Saga Prefecture, from Tuesday, December 1, 2026. A 10-meter-tall giant Santa Claus will appear in Okawachiyama, lighting up the winter streets together with a giant chimney candle and illuminations.
New for this year are the Akari Festival (あかり祭り), where lanterns made from porcelain and boshi (ボシ), the tools used for loading kilns, are lined up, as well as the lineup of artists for the special event on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, and expanded kiln projects.
Official Website: https://candle-christmas.com
The event takes place at Okawachiyama, home of the Nabeshima domain kilns, which produced the fine porcelain "Nabeshima" and has more than 350 years of history. The organizers hope to introduce the appeal of Okawachiyama and the value of its ceramics to a wide range of people, including younger generations inside and outside the prefecture, and to win new fans. Details and the latest updates will be posted on the official website and official social media accounts.
Okawachiyama's Summer Akari Festival Joins the Special Event
The Nabeshima Domain Kilns Akari Summer Festival (鍋島藩窯 あかり夏祭り), a summer tradition loved in Okawachiyama every year, will appear at Imari Candle Christmas this year. Okawachiyama, surrounded by mountains on three sides, will be gently lit by lanterns made from porcelain and boshi, the kiln-loading tools. Lights set against the mountain scenery and the winter night sky create a dreamlike atmosphere.
Okawachiyama Kiln Projects Expand This Year
Note: Images are for illustration and may differ from the actual specifications.
Limited Product "Kisshoju" (吉祥樹) at Rozan Kiln (魯山窯)
Auspicious motifs handed down in Nabeshima ware are gathered and painted on a single tree. It is meant to bring good fortune to people throughout the four seasons.
Imari Afternoon Tea With Nabeshima Ware at Nabeshima Kosen Kiln (鍋島虎仙窯)
A special afternoon tea created in collaboration with Uchinofudo (うちのふうど) and Uchida Kashiho (うちだ菓子舖), combining Imari's food and traditions.
Curry no Akinbo (カレーのアキンボ) Pop-Up at Sehyo Kiln (瀬兵窯)
Curry no Akinbo, known for curry made with wild plants, herbs, and spices, will open a pop-up shop for two days only.
Floating Candles at Ooshu Kiln (大秀窯)
Flowers, floating balls, and candles are set afloat in bowls placed in front of the shop. The swaying flowers and soft light add color to Christmas.
Utsuwa to Coffee Day (器と珈琲の日) at Imari Nabeshima Ware Hall (伊万里鍋島焼会館)
A tea room with 70 coffee cups on display. Visitors can pick the cup they like and spend time slowly enjoying their coffee.
SAIKUBA CAFĒ at Seizan Kiln (青山窯)
The workshop (細工場) that was formerly used will open as a limited-time cafe space, offering sweets from multiple shops.
Potter's Wheel Experience at Imari-Arita Ware Traditional Industry Hall (伊万里・有田焼伝統産業会館)
Visitors can make a vessel on the potter's wheel under the guidance of craftspeople from the Okawachiyama kilns. Please note that the finished piece cannot be taken home.
Painting Experience at Imari-Arita Ware Traditional Industry Hall (伊万里・有田焼伝統産業会館)
Visitors can paint mugs, plates, teacups, and more. The finished items will be delivered to your home at a later date, with shipping charged separately.
Performing Artists at Imari Candle Christmas 2026
Saturday, December 12
C.O.S.A.
Rapper and producer. Born in 1987 in Chiryu, Aichi. He began writing lyrics at 12 and started performing at clubs in Nagoya at 16. After stepping away from music for a time, he resumed in 2013 and became more active. In 2015 he self-released the album "Chiryu-Yokers," and in 2016 he released "Somewhere," a collaboration with KID FRESINO, on the music label SUMMIT. He followed with the EP "Girl Queen" in 2017, the single "Death Real" in 2019, released on short notice after the death of Nipsey Hussle, and the album "FRIENDS & ME" in 2021, which features many guests. He has also appeared on tracks by many artists across generations. In 2021, his song "PAID IN FULL" was used as an insert song in the film "The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill" (ザ・ファブル 殺さない殺し屋), and he has produced music for Red Bull's cypher project "RASEN," among a wide range of activities. He released the full album "Cool Kids" in January 2022 and the EP "Reason" in November 2022, and held his first nationwide one-man live tour. In 2025 he founded his own label, Moltisanti Music, and released "FLOR DE MOLTISANTI" and "Koshy freestyle," continuing to appear as a guest on many artists' tracks.
DJ SHOTA
DJ and turntablist.
He won the Japan title in both the single and battle categories at DMC, a world-renowned DJ competition. To express his own music, he started "Mellow Works" in 2020, a project that technically mixes everything from hip-hop with beautiful melodies to deep sounds influenced by jazz and soul. The ability to make a song more appealing by rebuilding the music is also proof of a performer who plays the turntable as an instrument. His style touches the heart, mixing songs of many nationalities while still carrying a sense of Japanese character. His distinctive presence and performances have raised his reputation further, and he now tours regularly in countries across Asia.
Sunday, December 13
Shuto (柊人)
Because of his father's work as a photographer, he spent his childhood overseas, in places such as Indonesia and Australia. Influenced by his parents, he grew up surrounded by black music and Western music in general from elementary school age, and began listening to hip-hop in his early teens while living in Australia. At 15, his family moved to Okinawa Prefecture, and around the same time he began writing rap lyrics in English. After graduating from high school he moved to Tokyo, where he was influenced by rappers such as BRON-K, Benizakura (紅桜), and CHOUJI, and began aiming for a style of rap that sets Japanese lyrics to melodies. After working in Tokyo, he returned to Okinawa in 2019 and, with support from CHOUJI, released the single "packback" (credited to CHOUJI, Shuto feat. MuKuRo) that year. Since then he has been actively creating, and drew more attention with the music video for "Suki na Koto" (好きなこと) in 2021. In 2023, big projects such as Red Bull's video project "RASEN" and "THE FIRST TAKE," in which he appeared as a guest for CHICO CARLITO, became a talking point, and both passed one million views on YouTube. Offers for guest spots and live shows increased rapidly, and he has established himself as one of Okinawa's leading artists. His style expresses his own struggles and conflicts, and the resolve he reached through them, in an emotional voice. It has an originality and musicality that go beyond the label of rapper, and it is highly regarded both inside and outside the hip-hop scene.
DJ KANJI
A DJ and producer from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, who has built his sensibility by playing at clubs across Japan and creates tracks that bring out the individuality of today's hottest rappers. He continues to work at the forefront of the scene. He has collaborated with leading rappers on fresh, addictive tracks, including "Celebrate" featuring MIKADO & Tete, "Smash!!!" with LEX, HIYADAM, and Y'S, and "Be Okay (Chi, Chi) (feat. Kohjiya & YungFLX)," featuring Kohjiya, the 2024 winner of "Rap Star" (ラップスタア). Under the name DJ KANJI he has released two albums, "THE VOICE" and "THE SOUL," and has performed on nationwide tours and at large festivals. He held one-man lives at Spotify O-EAST in Shibuya in July 2024 and at Zepp Haneda in April 2026, widening his activities as both a DJ and a producer.
Woody
From Fujinomiya, Shizuoka.
Woody is a singer with a sweet, warm, yet bittersweet clear voice and a pleasant, catchy flow. Woody grew up surrounded by nature and has said that singing was a great love from early childhood. After moving to Tokyo, Woody was inspired by the beauty and courage of expressing individuality through music, which led to creating songs on Woody's own. The first EP, "inside heart：LOVE," came out in 2024, and its fifth track, "ONLY FOR U," became a viral hit. The second EP, "inside heart：WAVES," followed in July 2026.
Imari Candle Christmas 2026 Event Information
- Special event dates and hours: Saturday, December 12 to Sunday, December 13, 2026, 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Giant Santa Claus and chimney candle display period: Tuesday, December 1 to Friday, December 25, 2026
- Venue: Okawachiyama, Imari (1806 Okawachi-cho Otsu, Imari City, Saga Prefecture)
- Admission: Free (food, drink, and some activities inside the venue may cost extra)
- Organizer: Nabeshima Domain Kilns Christmas Event Executive Committee (鍋島藩窯クリスマスイベント実行委員会), made up of Saga Prefecture, Imari City, and the Imari Nabeshima Ware Cooperative Association (伊万里鍋島焼協同組合)
- Planning: Afromance / Afro&Co.
- Official website: https://candle-christmas.com/
- Official LINE account: https://www.lynxcrm.jp/go/2026icc
Event highlights:
- Giant Santa Claus display
- Giant chimney candle display
- Candles and illuminations
- Chimney cotton candy
- Limited-edition gourmet food
- Candle stage
- Christmas market
- Pottery craftsman experiences (workshops)
- Kiln projects
- And more
Visitors planning to attend are asked to pre-register through the official LINE account so the organizers can estimate attendance on the day. Registration is only a guide to visitor numbers and does not guarantee participation, including securing a parking space.
About Okawachiyama, Imari
Nabeshima Domain Kilns Okawachiyama is a place where scenery like a traditional landscape painting and outstanding ceramic culture live on. In the Edo period it was the official kiln of the Nabeshima family of the Saga domain, where the porcelain "Nabeshima" was made with top-level techniques that were kept secret from the outside world. Today, 29 kilns still preserve the traditional methods and pass them on to the next generation.
Okawachiyama is home to Nabeshima Domain Kilns Park (鍋島藩窯公園), where a checkpoint that protected the secrets of pottery making, climbing-kiln ruins such as the Okyoishi Kiln (お経石窯) and the Kiyohara Kiln (清原窯), and potters' houses have been recreated. Along the mountain path, visitors find historic cultural heritage such as old kiln ruins as well as various porcelain objects that blend in with the quiet streets and nature. Brick chimneys and rows of kilns convey more than 350 years of history and tradition.
Okawachiyama Website: https://imari-ookawachiyama.com/
