── Halloween Lantern Festival 2025 at Fuchinobe Park, Sagamihara
📖 Reading Time: About 10 minutes
🎁 What You’ll Get from This Post
- A firsthand look at Sagamihara’s very first Halloween Lantern Festival (2025) — its atmosphere, details, and highlights.
- Through the theme of “light,” you’ll experience the warmth and quiet emotion that touched a 50-year-old man’s heart that night.
- A gentle reminder of the comfort of solitude and the small moments that help us “reboot” our hearts in a busy life.
- Practical info and local tips if you plan to visit the event next year.
🌃 What This Story Is About
One autumn night, a baseball stadium in Sagamihara transformed into a glowing sea of orange light.
Through those lights, a 50-year-old man rediscovered warmth, memory, and a quiet spark of life.
In about ten minutes, you’ll experience both the event and the emotion it stirred.
The Event — When a Baseball Stadium Became a Sea of Light
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Usually, this field at Fuchinobe Park (Thirty-Four Sagamihara Stadium) echoes with the sound of baseballs.
But for one night only, it became a sacred sea of light.
Time: 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM (postponed to the next day if it rains)
Organized by: Sagamihara City Green & Public Foundation, Mizuno, and Tokai Sports Management JV
Supported by: Ginga Arena and local sponsors
It was the city’s first-ever LED lantern release — a bold, precedent-breaking event.
Families and couples in Halloween costumes filled the field, wrapped in waves of orange glow.
For Sagamihara, it was a night to remember — a quiet but powerful statement: “We can shine, too.”
| Item | Details |
| Name | Halloween Lantern Festival 2025 |
| Date | October 18, 2025 (Sat) 15:30–20:00 |
| Venue | Fuchinobe Park, Thirty-Four Sagamihara Stadium |
| Hosts | Sagamihara City Green & Public Foundation / Mizuno / Tokai Sports JV |
| Sponsors | Ginga Arena & local partners |
| Program | Lantern lighting, food trucks, face painting, costumes welcome |
| Admission | ¥300 for viewing / extra for lantern experience (reservation required) |
The Atmosphere — “Wait, Is This Really Sagamihara?”
Stepping into the stadium felt like entering another world.
“Is this… Disneyland?” I whispered — okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit.
Thousands of orange lanterns swayed above the field, each one tied to thin strings that caught the breeze.
They hovered gently, two to three meters above the ground, glowing like tiny floating stars.
From afar, it looked as if they were drifting in the night sky.
Around the field, food trucks filled the air with the smell of yakisoba, takoyaki, crepes, and hot drinks.
Kids lined up for face painting — pumpkins, bats, and ghosts — while parents snapped endless photos.
The laughter, the chatter, the aroma — all blended into something quietly magical.
And then, as the floodlights dimmed, only the lanterns and people’s smiles remained.
It was… breathtaking.
A Small Disaster — The Beer Incident
Confession time. I’d already had a beer before entering the venue.
I thought, “A little buzz under the autumn sky won’t hurt.”
But as I queued for the ticket, I realized — “Wait, drinking while waiting in line looks kinda bad.”
So I hid the half-full can in my bag.
And of course… it spilled.
By the time I sat in the stands, my bag and pants were soaked.
The man next to me gave me a subtle side-eye and shifted slightly away.
He probably thought, “Drunk guy alert.”
But no — I wasn’t drunk, just clumsy.
So I accepted my fate as the “beer-smelling middle-aged man,”
quietly watching the lights from the stands.
From the Stands — A 300-Yen Luxury
👉 🎥 Before the Lanterns Take Flight — A Quiet Moment at the Venue (YouTube Shorts)
I didn’t join the lantern lighting myself — just watched from the seats.
Entry fee: ¥300.
Honestly, that was enough.
Looking down at the glowing field, I saw families arranging lanterns,
kids running, couples taking selfies.
And I thought, “This is exactly what I came for.”
I didn’t need to release my own light;
just witnessing theirs was enough to fill my heart.
Three hundred yen for this kind of peace?
A bargain.
The Countdown — When the Lights Came Alive
🎥 Watch on YouTube
🎥 Part 1 — Lanterns Rising in the Night
👉 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aRCYf3cP_8s🎥 Part 2 — The Night When Light Fell into My Heart
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPM160HBJME
At 5 PM, participants started receiving their lanterns.
At 6:30 PM, the emcee’s voice echoed:
“Everyone, let’s count together! 3, 2, 1… light up!”
And then — whoosh.
A wave of orange flooded the stadium.
Hundreds of lanterns rose gently, tethered yet alive,
swaying like warm ripples on a dark sea.
People gasped. Cameras clicked.
From above, it looked like the stars had come down to play.
And I thought, “This is it.”
The lights weren’t rising into the sky —
they were descending into our hearts.
Remembering Warmth — When a 50-Year-Old Almost Cried
As the field glowed, something lit up inside me, too.
I suddenly thought of the people I can’t see anymore.
Families everywhere — parents, kids, grandparents, lovers.
And then there was me: alone, smelling like beer, pants still damp.
I chuckled… then felt a quiet ache.
But that’s the beauty of it.
Those lights weren’t just LEDs — they reflected human warmth.
I imagined my late parents smiling somewhere above,
watching these same orange lights.
In my 50s, this kind of calm moment hits deep.
Fireworks thrilled me when I was young,
but now it’s the stillness that moves me.
“The light that reaches the soul” —
you don’t see it with your eyes; you feel it.
Sitting there alone, somehow I didn’t feel lonely.
Under that orange glow, we were all connected.
The Heart of the Festival — People, Not Performance
What made this festival special wasn’t the spectacle — it was the warmth.
Local volunteers, kind staff, everyone smiling, helping, sharing.
Kids whispering “so pretty…”
Parents capturing those fleeting moments.
Yeah, I was probably the only solo middle-aged guy there —
and the only one smelling of beer — but it didn’t matter.
In that light, we were all the same.
Next year, I’m sure it’ll grow — maybe even have a stage show.
But I hope it never loses this gentle, human glow.
That’s the true soul of this festival.
Access Info (as of October 2025)
| Item | Details |
| Nearest Station | JR Fuchinobe Station (South Exit) |
| Bus | Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu “Aoba Loop (Route 37)” → get off at Fuchinobe Park (10 min ride) |
| Walk | About 25–30 min |
| Parking | Available near park/stadium (often full during events) |
| Admission | ¥300 for viewing / Lantern experience extra (reservation required) |
Tip: Return buses run until around 8 PM, but check schedules in advance.
For the latest info, see the official site of Sagamihara City Green & Public Foundation.
🕯️ In the End — The Light That Stays
Lantern light is strange — it fades fast, yet stays forever.
Now in my 50s, I realize: I don’t need big fireworks anymore.
What I want are moments that linger quietly in the heart.
That night’s glow reminded me of gratitude —
for those who are gone, and those still here.
On the walk home, I looked up at the city sky.
Through the haze of streetlights,
I swore I could still see that orange shimmer.
Next year, I’ll go again.
Even alone — it’s okay.
And this time, I’ll try not to spill my beer.
Because that night taught me something:
the light of life doesn’t fade —
it just changes where it shines.
See you next year, under the same sky.
🌙 In one sentence:
The night when floating lights descended — not from the sky, but into the heart.
🌙 Related Posts
1️⃣ A Sunday Walk to Reset the Heart
── A peaceful walk through the greenery of Oyamada Park — a quiet reset for your busy heart.2️⃣ Challenging Rainy Tanzawa in My 50s — The Power of Mountain Food and Workman Gear
── A 50s man’s “trial and reward” in the rainy mountains — warmth found in a bowl of rice and the strength to keep going.3️⃣ A Quiet Goodbye, A Quiet Hello
── After the quiet tears, a gentle warmth remained — a story about light, loss, and human connection.
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