Half my lights were out in the instrument panel of my 1992 ES 300 too. I unsnapped the two plastic covers in the top of the black moulding that surrounds the instrument panel and unscrewed (Philips head) the two screws. Then I carefully pried the top of the moulding toward me. After it was barely clear, I grabbed the bottom of the molding and gently pulled it toward me, only an inch or two. The moulding came free. BUT, I still had to disconnect the coupling that led to the Reset Button.
After that, the moulding was still connected to car by a series of wires that led to the dimmer dial and the security light on the left. I left that wiring intact and simply hung the moulding off to the right side.
Then I unscrewed the screws (four Philips heads) in the corners that held the tinted cover to the instrument panel. After that I carefully pried that cover off. But where were the bulbs everyone was talking about? I assumed that they were behind the instrument panel, so I unscrewed the two Philips screws in the top corners that held the instrument panel to the dashboard frame, hoping to get behind the IP. Alas, the back of the IP was enclosed: not a bulb in sight. Drat! In frustration, I did what all good mechanics and electricians do: I gave the front of the panel a couple of healthy taps. Voila, the lights came on.
I had had no luck tapping the dash with the tinted cover in place; apparently, I couldn't get enough vibration to shift the bulbs.
Then I carefully snapped everything back into place, being careful not to bump the unit excessively and disrupt the fine balance.
I never saw a bulb, but I got the proper tap to get the lights back on. Good luck.