YAMAGA, Kumamoto Prefecture--Hundreds of traditional Japanese umbrellas and thousands of bamboo lanterns are warming the atmosphere of the cold winter nights here. The festival, called “Yamaga ...

a parade made up of several hundred participants balancing long bamboo poles with lit lanterns affixed. Each pole, which can carry up to 46 lanterns each, can be 12 metres tall and weigh up to 50kg.

Mishiro Kenshi creates installations with ornate bamboo lanterns known as "take-akari." He talks about the potential of the craft, including his work to bring light to disaster-stricken communities.