Investigating the lighting of Kagurazaka known for its charming blend of Japanese and European cultures, reflected in its history, culture, and dishes.2024.11.18 Amane Kotani + Akira Tawarada + Noriko Higashi Our final city walk of 2024 took us to Tokyo’s Kagurazaka. This popular area is lined with small alleys filled with trendy cafes, restaurants, and izakayas. Tucked away behind the distinctive cobblestone streets are high-end ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurants) and French restaurants without signs, creating a hidden gem atmosphere. It’s a perfect neighborhood for strolling, but what about its lighting? We divided into two groups of eight and set out to explore. Kagurazaka is a town with a hidden charm, blending the atmosphere of Edo with French culture. The cobblestone streets are lined with historic buildings and unique shops, creating a nostalgic atmosphere. The area is particularly known for its dining options, with hidden restaurants and cafes offering delicious food and wine, making it popular with tourists. We explored the nighttime scenery of this charming town. ■ Team 1: Kagurazaka Alleyway Exploration RouteTeam 1, under the theme of “Kagurazaka Alleyway Exploration Course,” started from Iidabashi Station and explored various alleys. We were deeply impressed by the entire neighborhood’s high level of interest in lighting. There was a wide variety of lighting, such as illuminating shop signs while ensuring the safety of pedestrians and installing footlights on shop walls. As soon as we started our walk, we came across the illuminated…

Date of Issue：3 February, 2020 ・Activity 1／Sydney Lighting Survey（2019.09.19 – 2019.09.21） ・Activity 2／Tokyo Survey 　Tsukuda・Tsukishima（2019.11.18） Lighting Detectives Newsletter vol.103  Download PDF Sydney Lighting Survey: How Sydney CBD glows at night 2019.09.19 – 2019.09.21　Momoko Muraoka + Sunyoung Hwang Sydney, a capital city of New South Wales is famous for its beautiful beaches and iconic Opera House. It makes it to the most populous city of Australia with more than 5.2million population. The climate of Sydney is subtropical with no extreme seasonal differences. Highly saturated clear blue sky, lush greeneries, beautiful waterscape, and iconic Opera House – Sydney is the city that has it all. It is quite a lovely place to be and usually makes it to the top rankings for the most liveable cities in the world. This time, Lighting Detectives flew to Sydney to find out how it lights up at night as a famous tourist destination. The survey focuses on the Sydney CBD (Central Business District) area. When looked down from the Sydney Observatory, the city did not have much of the façade lighting. Many of the buildings were glowing with their interior lights. There were not much of RGB lights nor media facade light except few areas of Darling Harbour and Pitt Street, the shopping district. The shot taken from North Sydney to have an overall view of Sydney CBD with iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge shows this more clearly. Sydney seemed rather classic with a…

Theme: Into the Water Interviewer:Yusuke Hattori Hattori：Your first diving experience was five years ago near Malaysia`s Tioman Island, is that right. Was it really your first time? Mende：Yes really. I wanted to go diving and so I went. I got my diving licence with a really strict Japanese instructor. I was 64 years old at the time and now I go diving every year. I am still a beginner, but I have done about 30 dives. How many dives have you done? Hattori： I have about 100 dives and an advanced diving license. The first time I went diving, I was so moved by the lighting experience underwater, I wanted to capture it in photographs. So I just went out and bought an underwater camera. Underwater photography is so interesting. Mende：Are there any differences between photographing underwater or on land? Hattori：Underwater you are floating, so shooting the camera is very difficult. Also you can`t use a tripod so it is hard to use auto focus when your body is floating and moving. I can really understand the distinction between a regular photographer and underwater photographer. Their diving skills need to be very advanced. Mende：Divers are all interested in different targets underwater. Some divers are interested in only sea slugs or really big fish or such. Hattori： I like underwater terrain. The dynamic landforms get me really excited! The fish are pretty, some look good to eat, but that is the…

Vol.65 Night Walk: Ikebukuro-Investigating the nightscape of Ikebukuro–a city that escaped the clutches of disappearance 2019.11.15　 Tomoya Furukawa+Shinichi Sakaguchi+Wen Yan Zhang+Noriko Higashi Toshima-ku is aiming to be a city known worldwide as a center for art and culture. At their plan’s center lies within the redevelopment of Ikebukuro. We focused our investigation on the light of the parks within their redevelopment and compared it with Shibuya and Shinjuku. A 360 degree photo of Sunshine Street bursting with white light Group 1: JR Ikebukuro→Nakaikebukuro Park→Sunshine60→West Ikebukuro Central Park Nakaikebukuro Park and HAREZA creating a good mood. The red staircase stands out The white façade on PARCO leaves a good impression Group 1’s main objectives for their investigation was the newly opened HAREZA and the renewed Nakaikebukuro Park. We started out nicely with the well-coordinated white façade of the PARCO and Maker’s logo, and the well-rounded Bic Camera’s façade, but soon we were disappointed by the excessive amounts of light that spilled from the stores. The pink Christmas decorations on the streetlights on Sunshine Street also got bad reviews from us. Some places showed an intention to create an exquisite or posh mood but it’s a mixed batch. Our main objective this time: Nakaikebukuro Park was lit very evenly at a perfect brightness, allowing it to be a space suited for many purposes, deserving of many Hero calls. HAREZA’s red staircase that leads to the theater is highlighted and stands out even…

2023.01.26-01.29　Masafumi Yamamoto + Yuki Ito　 Okinawa is a place where diverse cultures and histories are intertwined. In Okinawa, each region has its own unique streetscape, and this is due to the fact that each region has a completely different historical background. The following is a simplified explanation of the historical background of each area. The Naha area was severely damaged in the war and was rebuilt; the Koza area was influenced by the U.S. military base and retains a strong American culture; and the Bise and Imadomari areas retain the traditional streets of the Ryukyu Islands. By comparing the light environment of each area, this survey sought to determine what kind of lifestyle culture and light features each area has, and what kind of light is unique to Okinawa. ■Sakae-machi MarketSakae-machi Market, located in Naha City, is a shopping street that was established during the postwar reconstruction period and has remained almost unchanged since then. Today, the market is a lively place where locals gather during the daytime, but at night it transforms into a more local haunt, drinking district that is quite different from the impression it gives during the daytime. The only light at night is from the taverns and the faint fluorescent lights in the upper part of the shopping street. (Floor illumination: approx. 20 lx) The illuminance alone gives the impression of dimness, but the actual atmosphere was not as dark as the impression given by…