The Weirdest Traffic Light in the World Only Turns Green Once a Year
On a small island off the coast of Nagoya, Japan, one traffic light follows an unusual schedule of turning green just once every year. The place is Himakajima, a fishing community with roughly 2,000 residents and one intersection that has become famous for its peculiarity.
The light is fully functional and connected to the town’s power grid, but it spends nearly all of its time blinking yellow and red. It wasn’t installed for cars at all.
A Training Day With Real Signals
Image via Reddit/imHeroT
This traffic light was built to teach children how to cross the street, rather than to coordinate vehicles. The Himaka Traffic Safety Association introduced the light in 1994 after realizing local kids had no real experience with traffic signals before leaving the island for mainland schools or jobs.
Before that, lessons used small training props that couldn’t replicate the timing and sound of real signals. Once a year, usually in May, the island activates the light’s green cycle for a single day so children can practice safely crossing the road like they would in a busy city.
During the event, teachers, parents, and officials gather near Hakajima East Port, where the light stands. The usual flashing yellow along the coastal road and red toward the port switches to a full sequence of red, yellow, and green. Children line up, wait for the signal to change, look both ways, and cross the zebra stripes with raised arms.
The practice also helps younger residents understand city traffic etiquette. Himakajima’s roads rarely see more than a handful of vehicles at a time, so kids can grow up without seeing how signals actually work. The annual event bridges that gap, simulating realistic crossings to help the children grasp how fast the light changes and what safe reactions look like.
A Curious Attraction
Visitors are charmed and curious about this strange ritual, and every year, media circulate online showing the children’s training day. Travelers planning a trip often check the local government website to find out when the light’s “green day” will happen, although the date changes slightly each year.
When the event is over, the intersection quietly returns to its usual cycle of blinking lights. It serves no real traffic purpose but still manages to represent something special about the island’s identity, in addition to its beaches and octopus dishes.