Nagoya Castle glows gold this autumn as Nagoya City presents "Nagoya Castle Night Illumination — Be GOLD," running from September 19 (Saturday) to October 4 (Sunday), and again from October 18 (Sunday) to October 24 (Saturday), 2026.
Taking the "gold" that runs through Nagoya Castle's history as its theme, the event uses light to turn the keep, the stone walls, and Ninomaru Garden into a special nighttime stage.
The color gold has long been a source of pride for Nagoya — from the golden shachihoko atop the castle's keep to the gold leaf that decorates the Honmaru Palace, it has welcomed visitors, lit up the city, and been passed down across generations. "Be GOLD" reinterprets that golden glow through contemporary lighting, built around the idea of connecting light from the castle to the city, from person to person, and on into the future.
The event is also grounded in the idea that history and culture are protected by the wishes of many people and carried forward to the next generation, and it uses light to convey the importance of passing culture on to the future. It aims to turn the feelings of each visitor into a warm light carried into the future, delivering both the strength to protect history and the strength to pass on culture.
Highlights
Gold Interaction (Keep and Honmaru Area)
"Gold Interaction" is an interactive light experience staged across Nagoya Castle's keep and inner garden, where a range of glowing effects respond to and play off one another. Projection mapping that reacts to movement, lighting that brings vivid color to the castle, and high-definition full-color lasers wash over the entire space, drawing visitors into a magnificent world of light. Following motifs of water, thread, cloth, time, and gold, visitors experience Nagoya's tradition of craftsmanship, and the flow of time from past to future, with their whole body. At the climax, which arrives every 15 minutes, the keep topped by its golden shachihoko, the glowing ground, and the surrounding trees all respond together, wrapping the area in a golden glow. It doesn't end with watching — visitors themselves become part of the story of "connecting light," for a grand night unique to Nagoya Castle.
Time Layer (Corner Turret and Stone Walls)
Walking along the stone walls from the Southwest Corner Turret to the Southeast Corner Turret, visitors step into the layers of time that Nagoya Castle has built up. Light vividly brings out details of the walls that are easy to overlook day to day — the achievements of the feudal lords who took part in building the castle, the varied expressions of stones large and small, and the differences in how they were stacked. The golden glow spilling from the keep extends to the corner turret, the stone walls, the moat, and the garden paths, tracing the castle's grand outline against the night sky. "Time Layer" is not just a view of history but an invitation to wander through its layers — a striking corridor of light that lets visitors rediscover the weight and depth of Nagoya Castle.
Into the Mist (Ninomaru Garden)
"Into the Mist" turns the terrain, trees, and pond of Ninomaru Garden into a dreamlike night garden with delicate mist and light. At the North Pond, mist and lighting recreate the distinctive glow created when limited light is amplified by gold leaf, filling the space with a soft golden light. At the Dry Pond, more dynamic effects richly express the flow of water and the shimmer of its surface. Visitors can experience the elegance that lives within Nagoya Castle as they stroll through the night.
Lighting in Support of Kumamoto
Following the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, Nagoya Castle has been collecting donations within the castle grounds since August 8. Donation boxes have been set up at the General Information Center, the Honmaru Palace, and the 名古屋城西之丸御蔵城宝館, among other locations, and donations were also collected during the Nagoya Castle Summer Festival. Donation boxes will continue to be placed within the castle grounds, and all donations received will be given to the Kumamoto Castle Disaster Recovery Support Fund. In addition, during the night illumination held as part of the Nagoya Castle Autumn Festival, the keep of Nagoya Castle will be lit up in a special lighting design carrying a message of support for the people of Kumamoto. As a symbol of Nagoya loved by many residents and visitors, this lighting is meant to carry a message of support for recovery and reconstruction to the people of Kumamoto affected by the earthquake, and to send encouragement from Nagoya to Kumamoto Castle, which continues to be lit up as a source of comfort for the local community even after suffering major damage to its stone walls and other structures.
Overview
Event Name: Be GOLD 光にひらく 時の輝き
Event Period: September 19 (Saturday) to October 4 (Sunday), 2026, and October 18 (Sunday) to October 24 (Saturday), 2026
Illumination Hours: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Nagoya Castle Opening Hours: 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM (gates close at 8:00 PM)
Venue: Nagoya Castle (1-1 Honmaru, Naka Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture)
Admission: Adults: ¥500 (¥1,000 from October 1, 2026) / Junior high school students and younger: Free
Elderly residents of Nagoya City: ¥100 (¥300 from October 1) / Those presenting a disability certificate: Free (up to two companions)
Organizer: Nagoya City
Planning and Spatial Production: アーキテイメント株式会社, 株式会社PixelEngine
Planning, Design, and Production: 株式会社ザ・ソーシャル, 株式会社クーグート
