2018 Activities and Goal!

Ljubljana, the self-contained capital of Slovenia has a charming old cityscape made up of buildings topped with red tiled roofs. At dusk, people flock to the Ljubljana River to rest after a busy day and watch the lights come on over the city. Many historical buildings are lit up in this compact downtown, with other lights here and there creating a comfortable rhythm of lighting and darkness. The Tomostovje Bridge designed by Jose Plecnik connects the old city with the new city. Of all the bridges over the Ljubljana River, this is the one most central and with the most foot traffic. The orange lit facade of the Franciskanska Church next to the Presernov Plaza is visible from the bridge.。 Leaving the Presernov Plaza behind, the smaller streets are cloaked in darkness. Shop windows are dimly lit and a few neon signs are aglow down the street. View of the city from Ljubljanski Grad. From the darkness, activity along the river and the illumination of some main buildings creates axis of light across the city.

Interviewer:　Ai Sohara Theme：Fashion and Light , or maybe Women and Light Sohara： Today, I thought we could take a walk and visit Laforet Harajuku. Mende：Did you come shopping here when you were younger? Sohara：Oh ya!! I am a Tokyo native, so I have shopped here since jr. high. As women continue to develop their position in society, I think it is really important to dress up and look trendy. So of course, lighting is also very important when selecting items. Laforet HARAJUKU Women have beautiful curves, so soft light looks good Mende：So, have you ever bought something just because the lighting is good? Or something like that? Sohara： I think window shopping is the basis for many women shoppers. Take for instance today, we are just walking along and looking a various shops we come across. So, yes, the first impression, as shoppers passes by a shop, is very important. Mende：Yes, it is important to entice shoppers inside. As we walked around, I never realized the variety of shops in Laforet. There are boutiques with pendant lights or studio-like lighting, even shops using glareless fixtures, I never would have guessed! The characteristics of each shop design seem to be transposed in the lighting. I suppose to differentiate themselves from the other shops. Sohara：I don`t think the younger generation has noticed, but I really feel that lighting effects create a sense of elation while shopping. However, I think the most important…

Symbiosis of beautiful starry sky and light environment 2024.03.10　Noriko Higashi The Yaeyama Islands became the first island in Japan to be certified as a starry sky protected area. However it’s still only tentatively certified because about 2% of the outdoor lighting still needs to be improved. How should we think about the nighttime scenery in order to protect the starry sky and to make the night comfortable for local residents? We had a discussion with the citizens along with the Mayor of Ishigaki. Thank you for joining us, Ishigaki! The Yaeyama Islands, including Ishigaki Island, are the first area in Japan to be certified by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA, Arizona) as a starry sky protection area. The Yaeyama Islands are provisionally certified because there are still some outdoor lights that need to be renovated. Through the symposium and walking around the town with local people, we explored what kind of nighttime scenery is needed in Ishigaki, where the night sky remains precious dark and tourism is a major industry. ■Symposium “Symbiosis of beautiful starry sky and light environment” was the theme of the lecture by Mr. Mende and tripartite discussion with Mr. Yoshitaka Nakayama, Mayor of Ishigaki City and Ms. Yoko Akagi, General Manager of Ishigaki Island Beach Hotel Sunshine, who is practicing hotel construction in consideration of light pollution. Looking back on the past light pollution countermeasures in the Yaeyama Islands, they exchanged opinions on how to…

Date of issued：Mar.13, 2018 ・Activity 1／World City Survey: in Copenhagen/Stockholm（2017/12/02-12/09） ・Activity 2／The 59th City Night Walk ：Tokyo Illumination（2017/12/20） Lighting Detectives Report Vol.86　Download PDF Worldwide City Lighting Report in Copenhagen / Stockholm December 2-9, 2017　|　Written by: Hu Lin and Simeng Huang Located in high latitudes on the Northern Hemisphere, northern European countries including Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are known to be very unique in terms of the seasonal natural phenomena – the midnight sun during the summer, and the polar night during winter. In this December, we went to some of the cities experiencing the polar night during winter to research lighting environment. Considering extremely long night hours can affect circadian rhythm, are city lighting and residential lighting in those countries designed to eliminate the problem? In this trip we closely looked at the light environment that are unique to Northern Europe, gained through observation of public facilities and residential lighting. Here is the research results. Christiansborg Palace Pole lamps at bicycle parking outside the Danish Parliament Catenary lighting illuminating the roadway ■Copenhagen, Denmark In Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, classic design and contemporary design co-exist, each divides the city into visually distinctive areas. An area across a canal is on a new development with various kinds of new buildings are being constructed. If you walk in this city, you will feel the history of Copenhagen and be convinced how this city takes creative culture so important. ■Classical Lighting Copenhagen…

Kisyamichi Promonade, Yokohama 14 November 2008 Light Up Ninja Yokohama Team on initial survey fieldwork trip. Voluteers and staff hard at work on the day of the event. Underwater lighting revealed pretty clear Yokohama Bay waters! Lanterns placed over existing bollards along the promenade were a little too delicate for the surrounding lighting environment. Three different features of the Light Up Ninja experiment. LED luminaries fit inside the bridge trusses illuminate the metal framework. Using different colored lighting, the bridge structure has been turned into a work of art. Group Photo. Good Work, everyone! Yokohama is a city blessed with a rich waterfront. The interwoven contrast of water and urbanscape creates a unique charm that attracts many visitors. However, Yokohama at night is in complete contrast with the dark waters creating a barrier in the lightscape. In cooperation with the City of Yokohama Department of Urban Design, Light Up Ninja focused on the relationship of water-people-light to create appeal in the Yokohama waterfront. Light Up Ninja Project Go! The three-man team of Yamamoto, Yano, and I, Itakura, were in charge of this Light Up Ninja project and we decided to move our feet, early, with some initial fieldwork in May. We had no idea what kind of undiscovered charm could be found in the city, but rented bicycles to cover as much area as possible. (and paid for it the next day!!) Exploring Yokohama The journey took us under the…