I used to think it was kind of weird how places in Japan call their Christmas light displays just “illuminations.” But it’s seemed less and less strange to me as the years go by, partly because living in Japan long enough will shift your standards for English-related linguistic oddities, and also because it’s now common for venues in Japan that put up lights before Christmas to leave them up for the rest of the winter.

That’s the case with Sagamiko Illumillion, as the “illumination” is called at Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest, an outdoor entertainment facility in the town of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, an hour outside of downtown Tokyo. Since the colorful lights make for a romantic atmosphere, Pleasure Forest’s illumination continues through the Valentine’s Season, and to make things even more romantic, they’re even offering a special Grand Love Confession Plan (“Ai no Kokuhaku Daisakusen” in Japanese) so you can reveal your feelings to your crush in dramatic fashion.

Anyone who’s spent much time watching romance anime or Japanese TV dramas will be familiar with the concept of kokuhaku, in which you directly tell the object of your affection that you like them like them. In the Grand Love Confession Plan, the Pleasure Forest staff will, on your signal and based on prior consultation with you, bathe the section of the park in which you’ll be making your confession in the light of 6 million coordinated light bulbs.
The plan is available for one confessor-to-be nightly on Saturday evenings, and also on the night of February 14, Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Wednesday this year.
Because love doesn’t cost a thing, there’s no additional charge, beyond the standard entry to the park, for the Grand Love Confession Plan. With only one grand confession per day, though, slots are limited, and so an ahead-of-time application is required, with final selections to be made by Pleasure Forest. Applications can be submitted by email to the address sagamiko-resort-pleasure-forest@fujikyu.co.jp, and require you to provide your name, age, address, phone number, current relationship with the person you plan to confess to, requested date on which you want to make the confession (plus an alternate date), how you plan to phrase your confession, and a personal statement of what’s motivating you to confess. That might sound like a lot of personal information, but the intent is probably to help Pleasure Forest select the applicants whose confession of love is most likely to be happily received, in order to avoid sending out shockwaves of awkward embarrassment as someone has to say “Um, gee, thanks, but I think of you more as a friend…” in front of the other park guests.

Also during the promotional period, which runs until March 9, there’ll be an illuminated heart-background photo spot, which appears to be available for anyone to use, even if they’re not making the officially designated “Grand” confession. From now until March 15, Pleasure Forest is also offering discount pair tickets for couples, with the timing allowing for White Day dates on March 14, the day on which guys in Japan give thank-you gifts in return to girls who gifted them chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
And finally, for those who didn’t realize they’d fallen in love until a few days after White Day, or maybe just think it’s entirely too cold to be hanging around outside at night at this time of year on weekends and holidays from now through March 17, Pleasure Forests barbeque area will be offering a special “Collaboration of Love! Valentine Pizza Making Experience” from 12:30 to 2 in the afternoon.

Because if there’s a better-sounding date idea than making a chocolate marshmallow pizza together, we haven’t found it.
Related: Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest website
Source: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times
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- https://soranews24.com/2024/02/12/park-in-japan-offers-special-love-confession-plans-with-6-million-lights/
4 Comments
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Gene Hennigh
I would very much love to do this. It looks lovely.
Alas, the last time my confession was accepted I was nine and felt guilty and so I returned some baseball cards I'd stolen from a store. They were really great about it. But my luck with women. . .I still wish I could use this grand, over-the-top concept.
mikeylikesit
Now that this Grand Love Confession Plan is publicly known, is it going to lead to a lot of disappointment and fewer visitors to the park?
Who would ever go there if the very invitation signaled the chance of an unwanted confession?
On the flip side, if someone accepts an invitation expecting a love confession, but there are no special lights because reservations are limited to one per night, what a disaster! Who would dare take a love interest there without that special reservation?
starpunk
And then you feel like a geek. This jive is all on those reality TV 'Bachelor' shows for everyone to see. And then follow ups are made and it's usually not a 'Happy Ever After'.
As for me it should be just between two people in any old place. It ain't anybody else's doggone business.
Shingen
Looks cool.