2025.09.04-09.08 Yonglin Ke + Masashi Kurobe The nights in Honolulu are a diverse blend of resort illumination, residential lights, torches, and night market glows. However, as the city develops, the starry sky is fading, raising concerns about the impact on the local ecosystem. Balancing urban growth with light pollution countermeasures remains a significant challenge. We conducted an on-site night walk survey to explore the balance between the city and nature and to evaluate the current lighting environment. ■Honolulu Honolulu, the capital of the U.S. state of Hawaii, is a prominent tourist destination in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Simultaneously, it serves as the political and economic hub of the state. In this land where the sea, mountains, and urban areas sit in close proximity, the nightscape reveals a variety of expressions depending on the time and location—blending the glow of resort hotels, the soft lights of residences, traditional fire torches, and the vibrant lights of night markets. Furthermore, the combination of intense sunlight and a tropical climate creates a unique character within the city’s lighting environment. On the other hand, urban development and the growth of the tourism industry have negatively impacted the visibility of the starry sky and affected local ecosystems, such as migratory birds and sea turtles. While the state and city have begun implementing measures to reduce light pollution, finding a balance with the tourism industry remains a challenge. During this night walk survey, we investigated…

Under a rush of redevelopment, this is a huge period of transition for the area surrounding Shinjuku. On this survey, we were met by soft light filtering out of tall skyscraper windows, brilliant signage on facades and rooftops, and crowds of people along the streets and alleyways. Shinjuku Station South Entrance is in the middle of a redevelopment project scheduled to be complete in 5 years. A multitude of fluorescent lights line the pedestrian walkways with such an intense brightness that the surrounding scene is almost invisible. Six o`clock in the morning and waiting for the sun to come up on Yasukuni Street. Calm is finally starting to settle over Kabukicho, but still brightly lit signage are but glaring reminders of the nightlife. Brilliant advertising and signage along Yasukuni Street acts as an entrance gate to Kabukicyou. The bight lights entice many, who are aimlessly swallowed up by Kabukicho.

Kichijoji is an area of Tokyo where a variety of elements are compressed together to create this unique neighborhood. However, even though it seems to be a mixture of “stuff” the area is well planned and organized. Public and private organizations have aggressively worked together in city planning and we surveyed the area to discover what kind of lighting environment or rules they have advised. Starting on the north side of the station, a commercial area, we then moved to the south side of the station and Inogashira Park and the alleyways that connect the park and station. North Side of the Station The lighting along the covered arcade shopping streets, Sun Road and Diamond Street, are LEDs, creating a modern atmosphere, but down some of the narrower alleyways, like Harmonic Alley, the lighting is retro for an exciting nightly stroll. Park Street The main street from the station to Inogashira Park is a narrow 3-meter wide street lined with small cafes, bars, and recycled clothing and nick-nack shops. Restaurant and shop lighting is a warm 3000k for a comfortable atmosphere, but most street lighting spills out from the entrance to these restaurants and shops. Once they are closed for the night the street is very dark. Inogashira Park Equip with solor panels, tall metal halide streetlights record 331lx inside the park. However, the average lux level inside the park is about 30lx. The streetlights are too bright, and ruin…

Shiodome Sio-Site was a joint public and private sector redevelopment project completed in 2006. In nearby Shinbashi, eateries and bars built under and into the brick structure of the elevated railway tracks during the Meiji era have become a famous cityscape of this area. We set out to discover what kind of lighting environment exists in this conflicting neighborhood of Tokyo. Red lanterns, single light bulbs hanging under the eaves, colorful luminous signage…All the lighting is warm and inviting. The lighting environment along the streets of Shinbashi is wide and varied, but somehow closes the distance between strangers. Lighting for an elevated pedestrian deck connecting high-rise buildings in the area. The warm colored lighting creates a comfortable atmosphere for a nighttime stroll. The Shiodome high-rise buildings are not showy, and along with the interior office lighting, only a few have facade lighting on the building crowns.

City Night Survey- Chiang Mai Lantern Festival 2023.11.25 – 11.29 Angkana Kongchatri (Tan)+Momoko Muraoka Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand which has special atmosphere tracing from Lannar kingdom period. Tan from Bangkok and Momoko from Tokyo traveled to the city for a survey. ■Back ground of the survey The lantern festival in Chiang Mai has been getting very high attention from international tourists since a couple of decades ago. Due to its visual appeal, the festival has become an explosively hot tourist spot and activity. As number of tourists raise up, the negative side of the festival also becoming a serious issue, such as the risks of fire and abandoned trashes which cause suffering to local people. In this SNS era, the speed and frequency of exchanging information has become extremely heavy than ever. When very local culture gets intensive attention from unidentified crowds, then the one to retain the culture need to face and respond the troubles to come with the anonymous attention which is also happening on the lantern festival in Chiang Mai. Festivals with lights are attractive. However, overlooking the wastes happening materially and culturally cannot be accepted anymore. Through this survey, we aim to observe not only the bright side but also the problems and struggles behind which could relate with many other traditional lighting festivals. We believe that the approach could bring another layer of depth for the lighting detective activity with…