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The Marunouchi district in the center of Tokyo has been transformed in recent years from a business and financial center to the latest redevelopment to intertwine commercial and office space. Our survey started in Marunouchi, as we closed in on the infamous Tokyo Tower to view the sprawling Tokyo nightscape. Marunouchi Central Street is enclosed on both sides by buildings all at the same height of 31 meters. Facade lighting and streetlights throw an even light over the street, creating a flat nightscape with no rhythm of light and shadow. Quite possibly occupying the staring role in the production of the Tokyo nightscape is the Tokyo Tower. The ironworks structure of this tower is illuminated from underneath, beautifully generating a glowing symbol for the city. At 250 meters, looking down on Tokyo from the tower is a beautiful site. Glare is blinding and there is no visible unified pattern to the lights of Tokyo, but lights twinkle all over the city and continue as far as the horizon. Things always look better from a distance and the Tokyo nightscape is one of them!

October 30, 2009 As part of the events held during ArchiFest2009 in Singapore, the Lighting Detectives took a boat ride to observe Singapore waterfront lighting. How does waterfront lighting contribute in creating a space for a pleasant evening stroll along the river? What attracts us towards the waterfront, and how can light help enhance this atmosphere? The ride started from the busy commercial part of the river winding down to a very quiet residential stretch where the Lighting Detectives put up lighting installations. The idea was to highlight derelict zones of the riverscape with the intention to attracting the residents and passersby. Pedestrian bridge was chosen for this. The water edge was also highlighted by using floating lights, handrail lighting and even changing the colour of the street lights from an orange to a blue to complement the surrounding waterscape. Prior to the boat ride, there was a talk on waterscapes and lighting by Mr. Kaoru Mende who showed innovative projects involving waterscape lighting, and Ms. Diane Chua who explained the history and evolution of Singapore River. The talk was moderated by Mr. Siew Man Kok of MKPL Architects. Mr. Siew Man Kok of MKPL Architects moderated the talk between Kaoru Mende and historian Ms. Diane Chua. As an authority on the history of Singapore River, Ms. Chua and Mr. Mende discussed the riverfront and lighting. Lighting instillations were set up along the darker residential section of the river. Aluminum…

Duxton Plain Park, Singapore 19 & 20 November 2005 Go, Go Ninjas!! Light Up Ninja Logo The Light Up Ninjas have a long history with the Lighting Detectives. The purpose of the original event was to sneak around illuminating the ordinary and everyday “street corner” and then sneak away without being detected. This one-night event’s original title was “Light Up Guerillas,” but because of unstable political conditions in southeast Asia “guerilla” was no longer an appropriate title. While the principal remains the same the name has been changed to the Light Up Ninjas. The Tokyo and Singapore Chapter collaborated to brainstorm for a new name. Singapore`s Yah Li suggested “Light Up Ronin,” a wander on a quest for the purpose of life, or light in this case. A very fitting title, but the word ronin does not have the same ring in Japanese. The word ronin means a student who failed to get accepted to a university of his or her choice and is seeking another chance. Or from a more historical point of view, a masterless samurai! The final naming came from an American Tokyo member, Rachel Nakyama, who suggested “Light Up Ninja” for their deftness and indefectibility, also a word that most people around the world can relate to. Singapore Design Festival For Singapore’s first Design Festival the Lighting Detectives were invited to participate with an even of their own. There was a lot of discussion about event…

Meguro River Cherry Blossom Illumination Night Walk Review 2019.04.17　　 Erina Hosono On April 17, as the cherry blossom season came to a close and the warmth finally arrived, a review session of the Meguro River cherry blossom illumination night walk survey was held.The element that many members recognized as a hero was the water surface of the Meguro River, reflecting the rows of pink lanterns. Members shared that the sight was mystical and beautiful, with illuminated cherry branches and blossoms swaying above while the lights flickered on the water below. However, the discussions regarding the floodlights used to illuminate them, the color of the light, and the overall environment surrounding the illumination brought forth many conflicting opinions. Heated debate over the ideal light color for cherry blossom illumination The discussion regarding the color of the cherry blossom illumination—the centerpiece of the festival—was split into three main perspectives. Some argued that it should be lit with white light to meet the expectation that “Meguro River is all about white cherry blossoms,” while others preferred warm bulb-colored light. There was even a candid opinion suggesting that “since the goal of flower viewing is drinking, does it even matter?” However, everyone agreed with the suggestion to experiment with high-color-rendering light sources that enhance the delicate, pale pink hues of the blossoms.Regarding the floodlights used to illuminate the trees, the vast majority pointed out issues with glare. villain designations were concentrated on examples where…

Interviewer: Niken Wulandari Mende: Niken, do you like traveling? Niken: Yes, I do. I brought photos that I took from my trips, and we will talk about street lighting. I started to pay more attention to this since I did my thesis. During the time, I surveyed and compared the view during daytime and nighttime. That is when I noticed there are many designs of street elements that are visible during the daytime and not very noticeable during night-time. Mende: At the beginning, in Asia, everyone understood that lighting design is for the shape of the pole element. They care less about the lighting effect and the environment at nighttime, just focus on the beautiful shape of the street poles. Niken: I found that a lot of streets in European cities are using catenary lights, so they don’t have a lot of elements on the streets. When we walk, we don’t notice where the lights are coming from, we can enjoy the street view because it’s not obstructed by the poles. That’s why I like the concept of using catenary light. Mende: It is quite difficult for us in Japan or other Asian countries to implement this method to the buildings, it is not allowed in Japan. In Europe, they also mount wall-scones to the building. We have been suggesting so many times to use catenary light or wall-mounted street lighting in Tokyo and other cities in Japan, but it…