WINTER ILLUMINATION : NABANA NO SATO - THE CORRIDOR OF LIGHT

Nabana no Sato is basically a flower garden in Mie Prefecture, around 30 minutes away from Nagoya station by car or 1 hour away by public transportation. You can enjoy this garden in every season, from spring to winter. But if you want to see a winter illumination, you should visit Nabana no Sato during the winter season. It's a thrilling moment when you count down for the winter illumination turned on. You will count down in front of the corridor of light, counting down with the other visitors in the middle of the cold. And so, here are the things that you have to know before visiting Nabana no Sato.

| How to get there? |

I went there with public transportation from Nagoya Station. There are 2 options, either by bus or train + bus. I personally took train + bus to go there, and when I came back to the city, I chose bus instead because I didn't have any energy left for transit and waiting (because it's freaking cold).

By train + bus (ETA 1 hour) :

• Train : Take Kintetsu-Nagoya Line (Semi-Express Kintetsu-Yokkaichi) from Nagoya Station. Ride 5 stops until Kintetsu-Nagashima Station. Take exit to the right, and you will see a bus shelter.
• Bus : Take Nabana no Sato bus (direct bus to Nabana no Sato). I attached the schedule below.

By bus : 

• There's also direct bus Nagoya Station-Nabano no Sato and Nabana no Sato-Nagoya Station. It  probably takes longer time due to the traffic, but I suggest you to take this bus when you're heading home because it's just 1 seat away to the Nagoya Station. All you need to do is just queueing on the bus line with Nagoya Station signage. You can pay with your IC card , but the downside is it's more expensive than taking train.

| How much is the ticket? |

Ticket price is JPY 2,500 (Including JPY 1,000 voucher for meals). It's a bit expensive for winter illumination, but since it's including meals voucher already, I personally think it's still worth it. Meals price is around JPY 900-2,0000 there. I'll talk about the food later below.

| What do you do there? |

Taking lots of pictures! LOL. But yes it's true, because every corner showed its beauty, I couldn't help myself to take more and more selfies. I suggest you to come around 4pm, so you can explore the garden during the daylight, also you can enjoy beautiful sunset and of course the winter illumination. 

The light illumination start at 5.10 pm. So everyone will gather in front of the corridor and we will count down together, there's a staff will guide us to count down. Before the light is on, you cannot enter the corridor.

You will see light attraction at the end of the corridor of light. The light attraction will continuously repeating quite few times, but make sure you stay around 10-15 minutes to watch all the lights movement. The wind quite breezy though, so please be ready with the warm jacket and some gloves.

FYI, it's very kids and disabled friendly. The footpath is flat and I rarely find any stairs there. There are also lots of signage of direction. Toilets are clean (of course, it's Japan) and huge. So you don't need to queue in a line.

| What to eat there? |

There are several restaurants there, mostly sell Japanese, also few of Western foods. But for me personally, since I visited during winter, I think the best food is definitely noodle, either it's udon, ramen, or soba. So I picked Noodle place for my dinner there. Quite underestimating the taste at the beginning, but turn out the foods are so delicious and tasty. I think Japan always serves the best foods, wherever it is. I ordered hot Soba and Udon, price range around JPY 900-1,500. Big portion, fantastic taste. I think it's perfect.

You can use your JPY 1,000 meals voucher here. Please keep your ticket along your visit. You can give the ticket to the cashier when you pay, and add the rest with your own cash.

There are also some snack stalls there, but I doubted you can use your voucher there. But anyway if you can, I think seeing the price and portion wise, I highly suggest you just grab your dinner in the restaurant instead of the snack stalls.

Overall, it's a very nice experience to visit Nabana no Sato - The Corridor of Light during the winter. If I can compare, I think illumination in Nabana no Sato gives more energy and attraction compare to The Garden Morning Calm in Seoul.

What do you think guys? Please do write your comment below.