Yaesu & Otsu Night Walk Review
2023.04.28 Noriko Higashi
For the first time in about three years, the Lighting Detectives held an offline (actually a hybrid connecting with Kansai) Lighting Detectives Salon. This was the first salon since the Lighting Detectives office moved from Shibuya to Tsukuda. The excitement of the members who were eager to come to the new office was beyond imagination, so much so that I had to raise my voice a few times because I couldn’t hear the group members who participated online. The content of the salon was a review of the night walk survey in Yaesu and Otsu and a discussion of the theme for the next city walk.
In the review of the Yaesu night walk survey, some people expressed their hope that the nostalgic red chochin lanterns with a rich Showa-era atmosphere that still exist in the midst of steadily advancing development would remain, there was a presentation on the various street lights in the Yaesu area, a review of handmade lights on the cherry blossoms that were just in full bloom, and a discussion of the light environment in the newly completed Yaesu Midtown and the Yaesu Underground Mall that is undergoing renovation.
In the Otsu review, a student member of Ritsumeikan University who had just joined the group reported on the light environment along and around Lake Biwa. The color lighting of the Lake Biwa Hana Fountain reflected on the lake’s surface seemed to be the worst villain, which was disappointing despite the lighting was designed to create the atmosphere. In the review, several differences in the way new student members and non-student members of the group felt about lighting were raised, and it made me change my mind, which tends to get caught up in stereotypes.
It has been a while since we had an offline salon, and I found the exchange of opinions more active than online. Online, everyone listens silently while each person expresses their opinion, but offline, discussions start next to each other, with different things being discussed here and there. It seemed the salon was back to its original state, as I enjoy the various discussions that take place in a less formal environment. However, those who participate online may not understand what is being discussed and may feel left out, so it would be necessary to devise a way to facilitate the discussion so that they do not feel left out.
At the meeting, a suggestion was made that “since the Lighting Detectives’ night walk are always to see the light, how about going to see the darkness once in a while?” Everyone agreed with the idea and came to the conclusion that there would be “good darkness” and “bad darkness,” so continuing to discuss what kind of places could be found.
Please look forward to the next night walk, which will once again be divided between Kanto area and Kansai area, in search of darkness! (Noriko Higashi)
