2024.11.15 Noriko Higashi + Hikaru Kimura
This is the second night walk event, following the workshop held in Hida-Furukawa in August 2023. This time, we ventured to Kamioka-cho, also within Hida City. The centerpiece of this event was an experiment to illuminate Kamioka Castle. We tested various lighting techniques to determine the most effective way to illuminate the castle and enhance the nightscape. Additionally, we walked around the town to observe the existing nighttime environment and discuss our findings.
Before the experiment, our chief, Mr. Mende, provided a background on urban lighting and shared examples of successful lighting redesign, such as those in Nagasaki. After the introductions, we proceeded to Kamioka Castle to conduct the lighting experiment.
We began by observing the existing lighting. Currently, the castle is illuminated by several 1kW floodlights that were installed quite some time ago. Some of these lights were not functioning. For our experiment, we used high-powered flashlights with three dimming levels and red, blue, yellow, green, and orange color filters. We tested various combinations of colors, brightness levels, and lighting positions to determine the optimal illumination. Participants were amazed at how dramatically the castle’s appearance changed with different lighting setups and shared their preferences. However, when they learned that even using 20 of our 8W flashlights would only consume about 160W of power, they were surprised at how much energy the current lighting system was wasting.
Some participants expressed concerns that illuminating the castle would make the dark night too bright. However, they were relieved to learn that there are ways to dim the lights and prevent excessive light pollution.
During our walk around town, we discovered various lighting issues. For example, some public squares were brightly lit even when there were no people around, while some traditional paths, which we preferred to keep dark, were well-lit. Conversely, there were places that were completely dark and inconspicuous but had the potential to be highlighted as unique features of the town.
During the group presentations, everyone actively shared their opinions, demonstrating a strong passion for improving the town. It seems that many participants gained new perspectives on issues they had previously overlooked after taking another look at the town at night.
Some of the issues raised included the lighting of Kamioka Castle, glaring streetlights, dark and scary places, and excessively bright lighting. On the other hand, participants also appreciated the retro-style signage and the creative illuminations installed by local shops.
I hope this workshop will contribute to improving the nightscape of Kamioka-cho. (Noriko Higashi)
