City Night Survey- Chiang Mai Lantern Festival 2023.11.25 – 11.29 Angkana Kongchatri (Tan)+Momoko Muraoka Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand which has special atmosphere tracing from Lannar kingdom period. Tan from Bangkok and Momoko from Tokyo traveled to the city for a survey. ■Back ground of the survey The lantern festival in Chiang Mai has been getting very high attention from international tourists since a couple of decades ago. Due to its visual appeal, the festival has become an explosively hot tourist spot and activity. As number of tourists raise up, the negative side of the festival also becoming a serious issue, such as the risks of fire and abandoned trashes which cause suffering to local people. In this SNS era, the speed and frequency of exchanging information has become extremely heavy than ever. When very local culture gets intensive attention from unidentified crowds, then the one to retain the culture need to face and respond the troubles to come with the anonymous attention which is also happening on the lantern festival in Chiang Mai. Festivals with lights are attractive. However, overlooking the wastes happening materially and culturally cannot be accepted anymore. Through this survey, we aim to observe not only the bright side but also the problems and struggles behind which could relate with many other traditional lighting festivals. We believe that the approach could bring another layer of depth for the lighting detective activity with…

Bangkok, a city in a swirl of on-going change. In our previous survey of Tokyo’s Kanda River, we discover that the backs of buildings face the river creating and area of dark contrast in the middle of the city. But here along the Chaopraya River the opposite is true with the front facades lining the waterfront. Open-air restaurants and bars occupy the rooftops, as the spectacle of the city spreads out below. The Millennium Hilton, Bangkok, opened in May of 2006, is the first major hotel brand to open a hotel in the country in 20 years. The hotel boasts 543 riverfront rooms. With a UFO-like disk on top of the building, the cool-modern design stands tall among the neighboring structures. Along the riverfront, a private pier is provided for guests and dinners at the restaurant and bar. As river taxis come and go, the warm spots of light along the river reflect and shimmer on the water surface. Scirocco, one of many open-air restaurants, is approximately the same height as the special observation room at Tokyo Tower, 246 meters above ground, but without the glass barrier!. Without a glass window the lights of the city below seems so much more clear and real!! At the next table sat an older coupe that came to watch the sunset. The woman was surprised when presented with a big bouquet of flowers, undoubtedly a romantic gesture from her husband. A single candle…

2023.07.19　Shunichi Ikeda + Masashi Kurobe + Yuta Shibata Shinjuku Kabukicho, Japan’s largest entertainment district, is a dazzling neon-lit labyrinth filled with restaurants, movie theaters, and amusement facilities. Its streets are teeming with people all night long. In recent years, however, the district has faced challenges, such as the growing presence of “Toyoko Kids” congregating in Cine City Square and engaging in criminal activities. Despite these issues, the opening of the new iconic Tokyu Kabukicho Tower has brought renewed attention to the area. As lighting detectives, we delve into the current state of Kabuki-cho, examining its lighting environment and cultural significance. ■Kabuki-cho Reborn: A Post-COVID Entertainment DistrictSeventeen years after our lighting survey in Shinjuku in 2006, Kabuki-cho has evolved from large-scale development into a global tourist hotspot. Though deserted during the 2020 state of emergency, the area is now vibrant again with the opening of Tokyu Kabuki-cho Tower. This survey revisits Kabuki-cho, comparing it with the previous survey and analyzing its changing lighting environment. ■Tokyu Kabuki-cho Tower: An All-Out Entertainment ComplexThe Tokyu Kabuki-cho Tower, a 48-story, approximately 225-meter-tall, super high-rise entertainment complex comprising a hotel, movie theater, theater, and more, opened in April 2023.Upon entering the building, I was overwhelmed by the countless glittering lights that filled the space. The small shops and narrow corridors were adorned with an excessive number of paper lanterns, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of an Asian festival. Outside, the building’s digital signage, facade indirect lighting, reflected…

2021.10.27　Shunichi Ikeda + Erina Hosono + Namiko Watanabe About three weeks after the state of emergency in Tokyo was lifted, we conducted our first urban night walk survey since the COVID-19 outbreak, heading to Akasaka. The area between Akasaka and Akasaka-mitsuke features both traditional establishments such as atmospheric ryotei (Japanesestyle restaurants) and neon-lit entertainment districts reminiscent of Kabukicho. At the same time, Akasaka has gained recognition as a tourist destination due to redevelopment centered around Akasaka Sacas. We surveyed the nighttime environment of this area where tradition, business, and nightlife coexist. ■Aerial Nightscape of AkasakaThe central area of Akasaka lies roughly in the middle of the cluster of high-rise buildings. At first glance, the nightscape viewed from above gives a rather subdued impression, due to the lack of prominent building illuminations or large advertising towers. However, upon closer inspection, one can see clusters of commercial lights peeking through the gaps between buildings. While the limited presence of dramatic lighting or decorative illuminations may make it less visually striking, the overall effect is a calm and environmentally friendly nightscape. ■Akasaka Sacas AreaAkasaka Sacas, a multi-use complex directly connected to Akasaka Station, is usually frequented by businesspeople and shoppers. However, likely due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of passersby during our survey was surprisingly low, which was unfortunate. The nighttime lighting around the base of the 179-meter-tall Akasaka Biz Tower is uniformly set to a relatively low…

Tokyo Survey: Tsukuda / Tsukishima 2019.11.18　　Kyoko Takubo+Yuichi Anzai+Namiko Watanabe An overview of Tsukishima. In contrast to the bright large city buildings, the small alleys and storefronts don’t leak much light Tsukuda is an fisherman island made in Edo-period. Tsukishima was landfilled in Meiji era and now there are still many row houses and small alleys. While the port area of Tokyo is going through mass redevelopment, we investigated the lighting environment of this area filled with intermingling old town houses and large city buildings. Tsukuda Tsukuda 1Chome Mainstreet. Children playing outside the old candy store Tsukuda 1 Chome Mainstreet is mainly lit with mercury lamps Tsukuda Machikado Museum. Its lit with LED3000K with about 134lx. Our investigation started by taking an overview photo from a tall building from the other side of the river. With the hustle and bustle bright lights from the Central area’s cityscape, there was one part that was dark- that is our target of this investigation, Tsukuda・Tsukishima. The dark patch from this area is even more pronounced as it is surrounded by the bright city lights all around.   As we get back on the ground, we headed towards Tsukuda 1 chome (Old Tsukuda Island) Mainstreet. On our way we saw the mercury lamp streetlights (4500K) emitting some green tinted white light. The average brightness was around 11lx. In the day you could still see a nostalgic scene with children playing outside the old candy store…