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Santorini, one of the many island of Greece, is a crescent-shaped island in the Aegean Sea. The chalk-white townscape on top of the steep bluffs of this island constantly changes with the natural light, like a painter’s canvas, and one is reminded that artificial light does not compare to the beauty of natural light. One of the many Greek Orthodox Churches in Oia Village of Santorini Island. The strong afternoon sunrays reflected off the white walls and blue roof of the church as the ocean and sky sink into the background. Lights come on slowly as the evening approaches Oia. Everyday tourists gather on the tip of the cape to view the sunset that is said to be the one of the best in the world. Five hundred and eighty stairs take one up 300m from the waters edge to the top of the bluff. Along this narrow path, light from souvenir shops is the only illumination in the night.

Over a 13 year period I have written 76 Mende Notes. I tried, very diligently, to write one every month, but some things just don`t go as planned. So, now I donate this supposed “Note” writing time to a monthly hour and a half lunchtime chat with a LPA staff member. This new column, “Coffee Break with Mende and Me”, is an opportunity to talk frankly with my staff about lighting, design, architecture, or other worldly problems. Whatever they are interested in is the topic of the interview. So enjoy these monthly chats as I will too, over a cup of coffee with my staff.

Date of Issue: April 30,2025・Activity 1/ City Night Survey: Yokkaichi（2024.11.21-11.22）・Activity 2/ City Night Survey: Kitakyushu（2025.01.08-01.11） City Night Survey: Yokkaichi, Mie2024.11.21-11.22 Shunichi Ikeda + Yuta Shibata Yokkaichi has developed as an industrial city. The striking contrast between its dazzling factory nightscape and the increasingly organized city center stands out. We conducted a survey of the urban lighting where industry and daily life coexist. ■About Yokkaichi Yokkaichi has a long history, having developed as a port town facing Ise Bay. During the Edo period, it prospered as a post station along the Tokaido route. The city’s name originates from the markets that were held on days ending in “4.”After World War II, Yokkaichi grew as an industrial city with the construction of a petrochemical complex during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth. However, air pollutants emitted from the complex caused a serious pollution-related illness known as Yokkaichi asthma.Today, the city has regained a comfortable living environment. Residential areas, shopping streets, and everyday life now extend right alongside the industrial zones. ■3D Factory Nightscape Yokkaichi, with its history of industrial development, began drawing attention during the early 2000s factory nightscape boom. The expansive factory nightscape of the Yokkaichi petrochemical complex, which stretches about 10 kilometers north to south, is counted among Japan’s five greatest factory nightscapes. What makes it especially unique is that the nightscape can be viewed from the sky, land, and sea—earning it the nickname “3D Nightscape.” Particularly photogenic views of the…

Date of Issue: April 24, 2026・Activity 1 / Lighting Detectives Jr. : Children’s Workshop（2026.03.20）・Activity 2 / City Night Walk Vol.78：Shinjuku（2026.03.05）・Activity 3 / The Round Table Discussion Vol.75: Shinjuku Night Walk Review（2026.03.19） Lighting Detectives Jr. : Children’s Workshop Awaken the “Treasures” Sleeping in Nighttime Tsukudajima with Light!2026.03.20　Sachiko Segawa + Simeng Huang + Momoe Nomura + Noriko Higashi On the first day of the three-day weekend before spring break in March, we held our children’s workshop. This time, right in Tsukudajima where the LPA office is located, we took the kids on a night walk survey to search for “Lighting Heroes and Villains” and discover “treasures” hidden in the darkness. We also conducted lighting experiments on the spot. On March 20th—just a bit too early for the cherry blossoms—we hosted the 2025 Children’s Workshop. This annual hands-on program encourages children to explore and create under the theme of “light,” helping them learn about its power and influence. Since children rarely have the chance to walk outside after dark, the goal is to provide a spark for them to think about the relationship of light within the city. They experience how a familiar landscape transforms at night and how a single beam of light can drastically change an impression. For this session in Tsukudajima, we tasked the children with identifying “Heroes and Villains” and locating “Night Treasures”—landmarks swallowed by the dark that could reveal new charms when illuminated. As they walked, the kids…

3-day Student Workshop2022.09.17-19 Noriko Higashi We held a three-day introductory workshop on lighting design, where professional designers from LPA shared their expertise. A total of 23 university students participated, making it a highly intensive program. Although some students were initially reserved, through city walks, group discussions, and social gatherings, they gradually built friendships, learned to respect each other’s opinions, perspectives, and styles of expression, and created a positive atmosphere that led to a fruitful experience. While Lighting Detectives’ activities have been restricted due to COVID-19, we are even more concerned about the limited opportunities for children and students to experience things that can only be done at their age. In particular, lighting design requires going to actual sites to observe and experience lighting firsthand, which is an essential first step. We carefully considered how to conduct a workshop that could communicate the importance of lighting design and the value of firsthand experiences, even during the pandemic, and were finally able to hold it over the September holiday weekend. (Noriko Higashi) ■Purpose of the WorkshopI once taught lighting design-related courses for about ten years at several universities, including the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts, the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo, and the Department of Spatial Design at Musashino Art University. Each school had a different depth of interest in light, which made teaching a challenge. My own path into lighting design was, in fact,…