Just under 16 years ago was
the Great Hanshin Earthquake. It devastated the city of Kobe and remains (I think) the most costly natural disaster ever, at least in terms of dollars. The Japanese government had a famously poor response to the disaster, with Swedish rescue dogs quarantined for weeks after they would be useful and the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) handing out aid in many areas before the government.
Starting December that same year, Kobe started the Luminarie to commemorate the earthquake. They put lights up on a main walkway downtown and close the roads to traffic for a few hours each night. I went last Sunday with a friend. It was so crowded that people walking on 6 lane roads had to wait 45 minutes to reach the lights from the train station. It was well worth the wait.
