ROCKET NEWS

 

For a fee, visitors to Kyoto will have the chance to illuminate one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks with a color (or two) of their choice!

The new service, which started in September, offers the romantically-inclined the chance to surprise unsuspecting companions with a breath-taking, LED light display that bathes Kyoto‘s famous landmark tower in a color their choosing for half an hour.
 

 

Visitors to Kyoto, arguably Japan’s premiere cultural destination, will quickly notice the tower upon leaving the city’s central train station. The landmark was first built in 1964 to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, and the retro-futuristic monument looks like something out of an old Osamu Tezuka comic — though many are quick to remark that it seems a bit out of place in a town better known for its ancient temples and gorgeous natural scenery.

The tower is now offering this unique service from sundown until midnight, and presents would-be tower-illumination artists a veritable rainbow of colors to experiment with. There are currently two options available: a one-color service and a two-color service.

For the one-color service, visitors can select red, orange, yellow, green, purple or blue in 15 different patterns. People that splurge for the two-color version can choose from red and green, pink and orange, and more.
 

▼Just a sampling of some of the possible colors available!

 

And splurge they shall, if they choose to try it out. For one color, it apparently costs 30,000 yen (roughly $300 USD), and those that want the two color treatment will need to part with a cool 45,000 yen (about $450 USD). But what’s a bit of money for the chance to create the memory of a lifetime in Japan’s ancient capital?

Unfortunately, it seems that you aren’t able to decorate the tower with text or images, and if your favorite color is black, you might also be out of luck. Still, if you want to make a pretty impressive romantic gesture with a colorful illumination (proposal anyone?), you’ll have to hurry! Only 7 applicants will be accepted per month, making this a very rare chance indeed.

To make a reservation, call the following (Japanese) phone number: 075-361-3215. For additional information, including pictures of different illumination colors, visit Kyoto Tower’s official website!