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Lighting designer’ VS ‘Lighting planner’ Interviewer:　Karen Huang Karen: Mende san, today I would like to talk about the definition in between ‘Lighting designer’ and ‘Lighting planner’ since I thought about how we could define the direction or the ‘concept’ for the title of ‘lighting designer’. Just in my own opinion, the feeling of naming ‘designer’ and ‘planner’ are slightly different. Feels like ‘designer’ should pursue more creative and innovative ideas on design work, even though that is kind of challenging works. The other side, ‘planner’ feels like to support more accuracies of demand and standard regulation. If you could easily interpret that ‘designer’ may be more close to the art field and ‘planner’ shall be close to the engineering field. Of course, that is purely based on my own thinking. Our company name is ‘Lighting Planners Associates’. May I ask the reason why Mende san has chosen the ‘planner’ instead of ‘designer’? Mende: Well, do you feel the word ‘planner’ is strange? Haha~I still remembered it very clearly when I was considering the company name. At that moment, I asked Mr. Paul Marantz about the name ‘Lighting Planners Associates’ and got some feedback. He said ‘why you don’t call your company name to be ‘MENDE LIGHT’’? Actually, it was a very surprising feedback for me. I didn’t want to reflect my name on the company identity. But actually in the USA, it was not so common to use ‘designer’, but…

Feeling Nature Interviewer:　Isao Nemoto Nemoto：I was raised in Tokyo, but I really like the outdoors. Tokyo is, of course, a man-made metropolis, but I am always thinking about ways to incorporate more nature into city life. Mende：Do you leave Tokyo for the countryside often? Nemoto：When I was little I used to go the countryside quite frequently to play in the woods and streams, things one can`t do in Tokyo. Through play I learned about the power, strengths and peacefulness of nature. Even now I still enjoy marine sports and hiking. Were you raised in Tokyo? Mende：I was raised in Tokyo, but on breaks we usually went to the countryside. However, even in Tokyo there were still places left to chase bugs and view shadows from the moon, and other natural phenomenon. But I think the outdoors in the countryside or suburbs is a little different. Nemoto：When I was a kid there were more parks and open space for play. We would catch bugs and run around for hours. Now, the cityscape is changing and places for play have really been reduced. Mende：Instead of going outside to play, playing video games inside is easier. Also kids are eating softer foods that are easier on teeth. Lately, we seems to choose the easy way out, which is kind of frightening. I think kids should play outside and get lots of cuts and scrapes! In order to reclaim our way of life and…

17 October 2006 Reported News, Surveys, and Events Moon Watching in Sankei Garden…..Tsutomo Nagatsu,Yusuke Hatori Hiroshima Urban Lighting Survey….Tsutomo Nagatsu,Yuki Ogawa Taipei, Taiwan Lighting Survey…Mikene Yamamoto Mixed in with the houses of this quiet residential neighborhood is the D`s Labo Aoyama of Daiko Electric Company. The salon was held here in this comfortable half-basement conference room, stylishly decorated like an interior designers showroom. Reported by Tsutomo Nagatsu Moon Watching in Sankei Garden Detectives gathered at Yokohama`s Sankei Garden to view the harvest moon as it cast its light over the garden grounds, Japanese architecture, and pond, creating shadows and deep contrasts. On a clear night, the moon can be seen hanging over the pagoda and reflected in the pond. However, Mother Nature had other plans, and a howling storm chased us all inside. Chief Mende lectured on the history of Japanese light and members viewed a slide show of garden pictures taken on a planning trip earlier in the week. The moon shown bright on the screen, as everyone longed to go outside and greet the real man in the moon. Moon trivia also kept the salon audience entertained. Hiroshima Urban Lighting Survey August 5th through the 7th Hiroshima urban lighting survey included fieldwork at Itsukushima Shrine and viewing of the River of Light, softly lit lantern set afloat in the river, full of prayers for peace and as a symbol of remembrance as part of the Atomic Bomb Peace…

Date of Issue: 23 August, 2024 ・-Activity 1 / City Night Survey – Busan, South Korea（2024.05.16 – 05.19）・-Activity 2 / Children Workshop in Omishima Island（2024.07.13） City Night Survey: Busan, South Korea2024.05.16 – 05.19 Mari Kubota+ Noriko Higashi Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, is one of the world’s major port cities. In recent years, it has also gained fame as a hub for tourism and film. We surveyed the lighting in Busan, which is also a member of LUCI (Lighting Urban Community International). South Korea is a close neighbor, just 1.5 hours from Tokyo by plane, making it a popular destination for quick and affordable trips. Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea, is not only a tourist destination but also a major port and an entertainment center, hosting film festivals. As a member of LUCI, Busan has been focusing on urban lighting as part of its urban planning. In 2015, the city developed an extensive overview of its nightscapes, resulting in the Busan Urban Light Policy for 2030. This policy has been updated several times, reflecting the city’s ongoing efforts in implementation and improvement. The guidelines divide Busan into several zones, each with lighting tailored to its specific characteristics.We traveled to Busan to assess whether the city’s lighting contributes to safety, beauty, attractiveness, and the local economy at night. ■Jagalchi Market Jagalchi Market is South Korea’s largest seafood market, selling both fresh and dried fish. After purchasing seafood on the first floor, visitors…

2018/07/21-07/22 Yumi Honda + Simeng Huang + Noriko Higashi This tour was planned to make up for last year’s U-turn over Hachijo-jima. We took a chartered bus from Tokyo to Achi Village in Nagano Prefecture, which has been selected as the village with the most beautiful starry skies in Japan. A total of 15 participants enjoyed the summer stars and sun. Waiting to see the stars at Heaven’s Sonohara ■The Starry Sky as a Tourist Resource Even on a bright night with strong moonlight, the number of stars was completely different from what you would see in a city People lying down on the mountaintop, waiting A guided commentary on the stars using a laser pointer Tsumago-juku, the 42nd post town on the Nakasendo trail. A sight unique to the mountains: a roof thatched with wood and held down with stones The waki-honjin’s irori-bata and high windows. The seat for the head of the household is in the foreground A nostalgic streetscape This “Achi Village Starry Sky Tour” was devised as a way to attract tourists back to Hirugami Onsen—which had been popular until the time of the Aichi Expo—by using the ski resort during the summer. While reading an interesting article on the bus, we, the Lighting Detectives members, learned that the event, which was started by villagers about five years ago, has now become a year-round attraction. With that in mind, we headed from Tokyo to the western…