2025.1.16 Noriko Higashi
In past years, we held a joint year-end activity report meeting with the Lighting Detectives’ corporate sponsors and members. However, this year we decided to hold separate gatherings. The aim was to create a more relaxed space where we could take our time to hear each member’s hopes and ideas for the Lighting Detectives’ activities in 2025—but with so much to discuss, the two-hour session flew by in an instant.
During the Busan presentation, member Kubota shared vivid impressions of the bustling local markets and the evolving Gamcheon Culture Village, where the shift to LED lighting is putting the area’s photogenic charm at risk. He also described two contrasting beach areas: Haeundae Beach, brightly illuminated all the way to the shoreline, and Gwangalli Beach, which—though lacking direct beach lighting—is still brightly lit thanks to surrounding signage and ambient light from the nearby entertainment district.
from Kyoto to join the event.
During the review of the Kagurazaka fieldwork, which was conducted in two groups, reports were given by Lighting Detectives members Kotani and Tawara, who served as group leaders.
Kotani, leader of Group 1, titled their route the “Kagurazaka Alley Immersion Course”, focusing their walk primarily on the backstreets. According to her report, as participants made their way from Iidabashi toward Kagurazaka, they first encountered an overwhelming number of brightly lit signage at the entrance, which felt inconsistent with the traditional image of Kagurazaka. However, once they entered the narrow alleys, they found that many restaurants had thoughtfully designed lighting, leaving the impression that this is a neighborhood with a high sensitivity to light design.
On the other hand, the group was disappointed by overly bright white streetlights and media billboards continuously streaming advertisements, which disrupted the otherwise atmospheric nightscape.
Group 2, led by Lighting Detectives member Tawara, explored what they called the “Alley & Shopping Street Route,”which extended deeper into the Kagurazaka area. Their report highlighted issues such as protruding vertical signs reminiscent of those in commercial downtown districts, the use of colored lighting—pink and green—to illuminate street trees in an attempt to create vibrancy, and inconsistencies in streetlight color temperature between roadways and sidewalks.
The group expressed a clear wish for Kagurazaka’s historic nightscape to remain one of atmospheric dimness, with cozy, walkable alleys. Elements that contradicted this expectation were met with a resounding “No.”
During our discussion on ideas for the 2025 night walk survey, several locations were suggested. Within Tokyo, participants expressed interest in newly developing areas such as Takanawa Gateway City and Shibaura, the industrial nightscapes of Kawasaki, as well as Tennoz, Omotesando to Shibuya, Kichijoji, and Nakano. Suggestions for destinations outside of Tokyo included Expo 2025 Osaka, Umekita in Osaka, and various areas in Kobe and the Kansai region. Some members also shared a desire to visit more rural locations to enjoy star-filled skies, traditional fire festivals, or fireworks displays.
While we had hoped to hear from everyone about their ideas and preferences, two hours simply wasn’t enough. Whether it was the full agenda or the richness of each topic, time ran out before we could delve deeply into everyone’s thoughts. It became clear that future meetings will need to be at least three hours long.
Having our Lighting Detectives members gather at the beginning of the year to share ideas about future activities was a refreshing and valuable experience. Moving forward, we’ll work with our planning team (SQUAD) to design city walks that are both enjoyable and meaningful.
We hope you’re looking forward to another inspiring year with the Lighting Detectives. (Noriko Higashi)
