We noticed a dazzling arrangement of light (seen in the first two photos) from the annual Marine Lantern Festival in Odaiba, and discovered a whole lot more lanterns from the Tokyo area. We found terrific photos of all sorts of them, adorning temples, fronting restaurants, and illuminating streets. Here’s just a small selection of the lanterns that play such an important role in the distinctive character of Japan’s capital.

Explore more photos in a search for Tokyo lanterns.

Photos from ajpscs, cate♪, Jean-Julien Pous, Duncan WJ Palmer, DigiPub, notsofaraway, and xio_olx.