OSAKA

Written by Ulrike BrandiLighting DesignerHamburg In March 2020 I sent out our annual spring card and wrote: Dear friends, As the beginning of spring and our spring card coincide with the spread of the Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, I cannot send our card without comment.Fortunately, it is spring.A crisis is also an opportunity for something new, something better. This is my hope and I pay attention to every little sign. Could we create an economic system that is not so mercilessly based on inequality and growth? One that is not so sensitive to taking time off, being healthy, experiencing anxiety, protecting and caring for the needy, and reflection? Instead of returning to our “regular” way-of-life, I wish us all a more compassionate, loving, respectful, and unified attitude towards humanity and nature. In August 2021 I see: The world is on fire, as we can see from the satellite images of recent weeks. Floods and storms claim human lives, blackens the earth, driving people all over the world into long term existential distress. The global extinction of species continues unabated, and COVID-19 is also a consequence of increasing ignorance. In the face of these wide-ranging changes that challenge us, we emphatically desire to make an impact in order to live in a truly sustainable way. Lighting design is a small but influential profession. Our contribution can be impactful. Light pollution: Let’s minimize and avoid light pollution in all our projects by providing our…

Night Walk:Kamata Search for borders of Kamata’s lighting where is four train lines’ intersection and experiencing transformation transient 2017/08/25　Tomoya Furukawa+Simeng Huang+Shiho Narimoto+Eiki Takeuchi Kamata Night Walk MAP Kamata has variety feces. Does the border of lighting exist in Kamata? We devided JR Kamata line area into four parts and researched them. Bourbon road that has the Showa feeling Teaching tips of night walk for 5 people participating first time Entrance of the Sunrise Road, arcade goes through for 400 meters ■Group 1: JR Kamata Station-West exit, Tokyu line Group 1 went from Granduo West Building→400 meters arcade, “Sunrise Kamata” →”Sun Road”, place where canopy was first provided in 1965→”Bourbon Road” which has many attracting restaurants. Members were surprised of how dark it was around the entrance of the station when they came out from the West Bldg. There were no light dust on neither on the road nor vertical surface, and it was about 10 lux. Down lights under the eaves were not lighting up. Many people felt lighting should improve for safety and reassurance. On the Tokyu Plaza Façade in front of the station, there was an advertisement with LED emitting strong light, and a banner advertisement. However, there were some opinions saying lighting quantity of a banner advertisement was way less than the other lighting of advertisement, and was not so effective. Sunrise Kamata was reasonably bright because of straight tube type FL that directly lines with the…

Theme：Conquering Personal Faults Interviewer:　Hu Lin Lin：Today I`d like to ask your advice about my personality. Compared to other people, I feel like I live on an intense emotional rollercoaster. For example, in the morning I can be just fine and at night I am totally depressed. I have a hard time controlling my emotional state of mind. 練習と経験は何回も必要 恥ずかしがりや Mende：Really?! Your emotions can really go so high and just plummet in such a short period of time?! In just one day?! Lin： Yes, in just a few hours. I can be feeling great, but then all of a sudden I`m really down. In fact yesterday was like that. I just didn`t feel like talking to or interacting with anyone. When I have days like that I can`t explain myself very well in Japanese and I have a hard time communicating. Mende：Lin, I don`t think this has to do with your personality. I think it might have more to do with balancing your emotions. I don`t think it is a problem with your personality, but more of your temperament. Lin：By temperament, do you mean physically speaking? Mende：Not physical as in your actual body, but I was thinking more of mental tendencies. Everyone has different characteristics, physically and mentally. Your personality may lean towards more cognitive thinking and emotion, just like others could be described as shy or bossy. Lin：I think I have one more personality flaw. I can`t speak to people…

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. 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…

June 21, 2008 Sumer Solstice This was the 5th Annual Candlenight along Omotesando since the event was moved from nearby Cat Street. “Turn off the lights and take it slow” is the catch phrase for this familiar candle event. Two Japanese environmental NGO first proposed Candlenight as an opportunity to take another look at our modern lifestyles. Every year on the summer solstice from 8pm to 10pm this event reminds us to turn off the lights and reflect on our lives by enjoying the night in candlelight. Nationwide there are 938 individual candle events as part of this promotion. The theme for this years Lighting Detectives Candlenight @ Omotesando-Eco Avenue was “Dialogue: Dialogue with the Shadows, Dialogue with the Light.” As every year, local art university students and others gratuitously volunteered to help with the event, including the Omotesando Candle Cafe Network, candle installations along Omotesando, and original lantern making. We started with a kick-off meeting in February and used the next five months to prepare for this one-night event in June. Producers for the Omotesando event included Lighting Detectives Chief, Kaoru Mende, cultural anthropologist, Shinichi Takemura, and, as a special guest, graphic designer, Taku Satoh, all of who participated in each meeting. Each team presented their candle installation ideas, receiving advice and critics from the gallery. As the event neared and projects took shape, the weather report was not as cooperative, forecasting rain. But, after so many hours of…