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2022.11.24　　Bryan Yan After long pause of the activates, Hong Kongdetectives finally made one night walk event atthe West Kowloon Cultural District. We invitedvarious professions in architecture, interiorand lighting design to join us, and 17 peopleperticipated. It has been 6 years since the last Lighting Detective event in 2016 in Hong Kong.  Lighting Detectives event was organized after three years COVID-19. Although there are still some restrictions on the gathering due to COVI D -19 in Hong Kong, it cannot stop our passion to explore interesting places at nighttime. West Kowloon Cultural area is one of the most exciting places in Hong Kong recently. Huge landscape area for people to gather and enjoy the fresh air. New modern art museum M+ and Palace Museum are the attraction spots for people. How the lighting is facilitated in this new development area. We also explored how they were planned and designed to meet the people needs and to the community. The night walk event was completed with a lot of joy. Throughout the night walk, our guests found some interesting points of view and rethought about the lighting’s purpose and what the appropriate lighting should be. Lighting design for a city is always evolving with the perception of people. By exploring and discussion, we will know more about what we need. (Bryan Yan)

Let’s go see the cherry blossom illumination along the Meguro River! 2019.03.25 　　Naoko Oguchi + Takashi Ota + Arata Ishikawa + Noriko Higashi　　 The Meguro River is one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo. For this night walk survey, we divided into two routes—Nakameguro to Meguro and Gotanda to Meguro—to investigate how the cherry blossoms are illuminated in each area. Cherry blossoms around Nakameguro illuminated by high-color-temperature white light Team 1　(Tokyu Toyoko Line Nakameguro Station → JR Meguro Station)Our night walk survey took us from Nakameguro to Meguro. Along the Meguro River near Nakameguro Station, the lighting went beyond simple illumination; the light from food stalls and restaurants created a lively atmosphere, and the cherry blossoms were powerfully lit with highcolor-temperature (6500K) floodlights. While there was some debate regarding this choice of color temperature, the high Kelvin value seemed to make the whiteness of the petals stand out impressively. However, depending on the installation points, some lights were at eye level for pedestrians, causing uncomfortable glare. Alongside the floodlights, countless lanterns stretched on endlessly, producing a bustling and festive cherry blossom season. In areas with few streetlights, these lanterns also served to ensure pedestrian safety. As we moved toward Meguro, past Komazawa-dori Street, the floodlight illumination ceased, leaving only lanterns and occasional independent lighting by adjacent restaurants. These shops showed various creative efforts, such as spotlights mounted on walls or portable floodlights, but those aimed upward…

“Rethinking Future City Night Walk” 2020.08.28　東悟子 The Lighting Detectives’ main activities revolve around fieldwork. During this salon, we split into groups to discuss what kinds of night walk surveys are possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what we should be observing now.Our third salon held online Each team discussed potential areas for the night walk survey. The Nagoya team proposed a streetlight investigation Since the end of March, we’ve been working with the night walk survey planning committee, SQUAD, to explore what kind of activities the Detectives can pursue even under pandemic restrictions.Various ideas were proposed, such as solo night walks, video streams of night walks by Chief Mende, virtual night walks, and even group YouTube watch sessions. In May, we conducted an experiment where each member investigated lighting within a 100-meter radius of their home and shared their findings online. This project turned out to be meaningful, as it revealed both positive aspects and problem areas in each of our residential neighborhoods. However, since the Lighting Detectives have long focused on gathering for fieldwork as a core activity, we wanted to explore new possibilities. With that in mind, we invited members to submit ideas under the theme “Reimagining Future Night Walk Surveys.” Specifically, we asked what kind of night walk surveys they’d like to try. Based on similarities in proposed themes and locations, members were grouped into three teams: Each group was given 40 minutes to discuss and develop…

Date of Issue: December 19, 2025・Activity 1 / City Night Survey：Honolulu（2025.09.04-09.08）・Activity 2 / city Night Walk Vol. 77: Gakugei-daigaku（2025.10.17）・Activity 3 / Round Table Discussion Vol. 74: Review on Gakugei-daigaku（2025.11.10） City Night Survey：Honolulu 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…

Shomei Tanteidan Salon Review of the Kamata night walk 2017/09/06　Noriko Higashi We had a review of Kamata-town walking which held on the Premium Friday in the midsummer, when the town flourishes the most. How was the impression of night in Kamata? Discussion was carried out with 18 participants. Group leader presented the summary of the walk. Many opinions came from the first participants as well. Slide comparing the streets around the west exit of the station. Eatery with Showa feeling was unanimously selected as a hero. Internally illuminated panel in the entrance of the arcade became a hero with soft coloring Every member in the group thought the park in the residential area was a hero. When I asked participants about the impression of Kamata, there were opinions saying “A place that doesn’t bother to go, and hasn’t been explored yet”, “There are many Pachislot and Pachinko stores jumbling around, but doesn’t have bold flashiness like Kabukicho”, “Very convenient for being able to use 4 lines”, “Yuzawaya”. How did these change or didn’t change after the walking? The characteristic of Kamata mentioned in the salon was “active town that is very lived-in feel and prospers with many people at night.” I didn’t see lightings with unified design, but many of the lightings that coming out from restaurants and stores were attractive and called out for a long way, which was not uncomfortable at all. The lighting mentioned as Villain of…