If you've read that Hiroshima Dreamination (ひろしまドリミネーション) opens in mid-November, that's out of date. Starting this season, the winter light-up along Peace Boulevard (Heiwa Odori, 平和大通り) runs from Friday, December 4, 2026 to Sunday, January 24, 2027.
Plan a November trip around it and you'll find nothing switched on yet. Once it opens, admission is free, with lights from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. except on opening night, December 4, when they come on around 6 p.m. for the ceremony.
The last direct tram from Fukuro-machi to Hiroshima Station leaves at 10:16 p.m., before the lights go off at 10:30.
Dreamination 2026 at a glance
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Dates | Fri, Dec 4, 2026 – Sun, Jan 24, 2027 (52 days) |
Hours | 5:30–10:30 p. |
Admission | Free |
Main venue | The green spaces on the north and south sides of Peace Boulevard, from Shirakami Shrine (白神社) to the Tanakamachi intersection (田中町交差点) |
Getting there | Fukuro-machi (袋町) stop on the Hiroden tram (広島電鉄), about a 2-minute walk |
Theme | "A fairy-tale land" (おとぎの国) |
Contact | Organizing committee office, 082-554-1813 (weekdays 9:00 a. |
Hotels around Peace Boulevard: availability and rates
Some English travel pages still list the old November start. The organizer's Hiroshima Dreamination site (Japanese) and the City of Hiroshima both give December 4 to January 24 for this season.
The switch from November to December
The City of Hiroshima announced the change on July 10, 2026. Dreamination dates back to 2002, and from 2004 the standard run was November 17 to January 3.
The city wants to get visitors moving around the city center in December and January, when hotel occupancy is low, and to line the event up with other fixtures such as the Emperor's Cup National Men's Ekiden (天皇盃 全国男子駅伝), a road relay.
From this season on, the city's general rule is that the lights run from the first Friday of December to the day of the ekiden in late January. This season runs 52 days, up from 48 under the old dates, with the lights on more than three weeks into January.
If the rule holds, the 2027 season would start on Friday, December 3, 2027. The end date is set each year to match the ekiden schedule.
What to see on Peace Boulevard
The organizer's "highlights" sheet splits the boulevard between Rijo-dori (鯉城通り) and Ekimae-dori (駅前通り) into 12 zones: A to F on the north side and G to L on the south side.
- Zone B, "White Palace" (ホワイト・パレス): a castle built from starlight, with a pumpkin carriage and a hill of "snow crystals" that glow in seven colors. North side, between Rijo-dori and Namiki-dori.
- Zone J, "Fortune-Telling Rabbit's Miracle Carrot" (占いうさぎのミラクル・キャロット): touch the giant carrot and the rabbit lights up to tell your fortune. South side, between Rijo-dori and Jizo-dori.
- Zones A, F, G and L, "Starry Forest" (スターリーフォレスト): a "golden forest" of LEDs in three colors at both ends of the boulevard. New this year is a large "Shining Tree."
The mascot, Hoshi no Ko Dorimi (星の子どりみ), is hidden somewhere along the route. The organizer notes that the drawings on its highlights sheet are artist's impressions and may differ from the real displays.
Other planned venues include the Namiki-dori, Kinzagai and Hondori shopping streets, Alice Garden, the Kyobashi River open-café area, Motomachi CRED, Hiroshima Gate Park and the Hiroshima Station area.
As of November 10, the zone map and the hours for venues other than Peace Boulevard aren't posted yet.
Which night to go: café days and the final day
The announced hours are the same every night except opening night. What changes from night to night is the sweets café, open on just 22 of the 52 nights. The final day also has the ekiden running through town during the day.
Dates | Lights | Sweets café | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Dec 4 (Fri) | ~6:00–10:30 p. | Open | Opening ceremony; location and time not announced |
Dec 5–27 | 5:30–10:30 p. | Fri–Sun only | — |
Dec 28 – Jan 7 | 5:30–10:30 p. | Closed | Closed even on Jan 1–3 (Fri–Sun) |
Jan 8–23 | 5:30–10:30 p. | Jan 8–11, 15–17, 22 and 23 | Open Mon, Jan 11 (Coming of Age Day) |
Jan 24 (Sun) | 5:30–10:30 p. | Open | Final night; ekiden in the afternoon |
If the café is part of the plan, go on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday (December 4–27, or from January 8) and get there before 9:30 p.m. Over New Year's, from December 28 to January 7, there's no café at all.
The sweets café sets up in Zone B, on the green strip in front of Hiroshima Crystal Plaza (広島クリスタルプラザ), from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on those 22 nights, closing an hour before the lights go off.
Hot wine and salted-butter treats called shio butter sand (塩バターサンド) are on the planned menu.
The café may close without notice in bad weather. There's a per-person limit on alcoholic drinks. The café dates are listed on Hiroshima's official tourism site, Dive! Hiroshima (Japanese).
The last night, Sunday, January 24, 2027, is also the day of the Emperor's Cup National Men's Ekiden. The race starts at 12:30 p.m. and finishes in front of Peace Memorial Park.
For the January 2026 race, the city warned of traffic restrictions at certain times. The 2027 restrictions haven't been announced, so if you're driving in on January 24, check notices from the race organizers and the police before you set off.
Getting there and back: trams and last trains
Take the Hiroden tram to Fukuro-machi; the venue is about a two-minute walk away. From JR Hiroshima Station, Line 1 (bound for Hiroshima Port, 広島港) gets you there without a transfer. Get off at Fukuro-machi, two stops past Kamiyacho-higashi (紙屋町東), right after Hondori (本通).
Going back, Line 1 takes 15 minutes from Fukuro-machi to Hiroshima Station. The last tram leaves at 10:16 p.m. on weekdays and weekends alike, arriving at 10:31 p.m. (per the timetable in effect since March 28, 2026; New Year times may differ, see below).
Some trams, including the last one, show "0" instead of "1" as the route number, so don't let that throw you.
Line 2 still runs to the station after the lights go off, with last departures at 10:49 p.m. from Kamiyacho-nishi (紙屋町西) and 10:50 p.m. from Kamiyacho-higashi. No official walking time from the boulevard is published, so check the route before relying on those trams.
Last winter, Hiroden ran special timetables on December 31 and January 1–3. This season's New Year schedule isn't out yet.
For a day trip by shinkansen, here are the key trains on JR West's timetable (we checked the December 11 and 12 schedules), with the latest Line 1 tram that reaches the station before departure:
Heading to | Train from Hiroshima | Latest Line 1 tram from Fukuro-machi |
|---|---|---|
Kyoto (last direct train) | Nozomi 108 at 9:03 p. | 8:41 p. |
Shin-Osaka (last Hikari) | Hikari 682 at 9:59 p. | 9:35 p. |
Shin-Osaka (last train of the night) | Mizuho 614 at 10:12 p. | 9:35 p. |
Hakata | Nozomi 59 at 10:45 p. | 10:16 p. |
The transfer time from the tram stop to the shinkansen gates isn't officially published, so build in a buffer. The last train to Tokyo is Nozomi 64 at 8:02 p.m.
If you're using a Japan Rail Pass, check the train names: the last direct trains to Kyoto and Hakata are both Nozomi, and the pass doesn't cover Nozomi or Mizuho.
To ride them, pass holders need a separate "NOZOMI MIZUHO Ticket" for each one-way trip, at ticket machines or ticket offices, up to a month in advance.
From December 25 to January 5, and again January 9–11, every Nozomi, including Nozomi 108, is all-reserved.
Ticket release dates and how to reserve are in Year-End Shinkansen 2026–27: When Tickets Go On Sale, and the Nozomi's All-Reserved Window (Dec 25–Jan 5). For an adult, it costs ¥4,170 from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka or Kyoto, and ¥3,400 to Hakata (Japan Rail Pass).
If you want the full evening without watching the clock, spend the night in Hiroshima.
By car, it's about 25 minutes from the Hiroshima IC on the Sanyo Expressway via Route 54. Neither the organizer nor the tourism site lists event parking.
If you're pairing it with Miyajima, spend the day on the island and come back for the lights in the evening. Our guide Miyajima's Floating Torii: High Tide or Low Tide? How to Time Your Visit covers when to go for high or low tide.
Not announced yet
As of November 10, the following aren't on the official sites. The city says it will issue details in a later press release, and we'll add them here when they're out.
- Opening ceremony location and time
- Zone map
- What happens to the lights in rain
- Whether hours are extended over New Year's, including December 31
- Hours at venues other than Peace Boulevard
- Hiroden's New Year timetable
- Traffic restrictions for the January 24 ekiden
Traveling in December? Our list Japan in December 2026: Tickets and Trains to Book Before You Go covers what to reserve before you fly.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
