

City Survey: Tsukiji, Tokyo 2017/12/14,2018/01/12 Nemoto Isao + Masafumi Yamamoto Night view from the opposite shore of Tsukiji, across the Sumida River. Tsukiji Market on the middle, Tokyo Tower and Tsukiji Bridge on the left, and Kachidoki Bridge on the right. In this Tsukiji survey, we visited the inner market, where mainly wholesale is taking place, the outer market, where visitors can shop and eat, and also the Tsukiji Honganji temple and the Kachidoki Bridge which are popular spots for tourists. ■Luminous Environment around Tukiji Fish Market From the Kachidoki area on the opposite side of the Tsukiji fish market, you can overlook the entire view of the market, buildings such as Kachidoki Bridge and Tokyo Tower across the Sumida River. While we notice white light that comes from the market and surrounded buildings, the warm-colored light of incandescent lamps emitted from the fish handling facility facing the Sumida River on the opposite shore. This view is quite impressive, and creates an emotional and beautiful view during the night.This warm light from the market brings the sense of the history of Tsukiji rooted in this area for a long time. In contrast, the white light emitted from the group of high-rise buildings in the background seems to symbolize the momentum of the rapidly evolving city. Outside the market, there are more than 400 shops, and many shops still remain open after evening.Various light sources and lighting fixtures are used in each…
2018/09/30-10/08 Shosaku Takahashi + Masafumi Yamamoto Morocco is located on the African continent but retains a strong influence from European countries such as neighboring Spain and France. It can be said that the cities have been formed under the influence of various cultures. This survey started in the major city of Marrakech, crossed the Atlas Mountains to visit the vast Sahara Desert inland, and then continued for ten hours and another 600 kilometers across the continent to reach the blue city of Chefchaouen. We experienced the climate, culture, and lifestyle of this country, which shines on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea while benefiting from the sun, and investigated the relationship between lighting and people’s lives. Djemaa el-Fna Square Many of the Old Town’s paths are covered with sunscreens The souk is bustling with people at night People watching street performers ■Arrival in MarrakechAfter driving four hours from Casablanca Airport, we saw the reddish-clay streetscape of the major city of Marrakech pop up in the middle of the wilderness. The moment we got out of the car in the old town, swarms of flies started hitting our bodies. The smell of rotting fruit and raw fish stung our noses. Crowds of people moved through the narrow alleyways, as motorcycles sped past, honking their horns. The air was thick with dust and exhaust fumes. Flies immediately swarmed the tuna sandwich we bought from a nearby stand for a late lunch. ■Old…
A city for the young and young at heart, Shibuya. The area is composed of a mess of streets all with a different atmosphere, including a few main streets connected by narrower alleyways. Each street has developed its own personality and role, including lighting conditions to create the Shibuya night. From the scramble intersection in front of Shibuya Station, 3 distinctive roads, Dogenzaka, Center Gai, and Koen Dori radiate. After dusk, the lights come on and the personality of each street is even more clearly defined. As the title implies, Center Gai is the center of Shibuya geographically and caters to the young as the center for shopping and entertainment. This street is full of light. Each shop seems to be competing for the brightest facade with infinite amounts of luminous signage and advertising, creating a 3-dimensional playground. Dogenzaka is a festive street with a steady flow of pedestrians, but turn down one of the narrow side streets and the atmosphere changes immensely. The facades of many love hotels packed into the area are saturated with color creating a seedy blend of light and young couples prowling the Maruyama-cho area.
2023.01.20-01.22 Yuichi Anzai+ Chuanyi Liu ■Kozushima Village Kozushima is located about 180 kilometers south of central Tokyo with a population of about 1,800. The terrain is complex, with almost no flat land. The village is located in the center of the island at the foot of Mt. Tenjo. The impetus for the starry sky protection activities on Kozushima came from a comment made during a student internship program by the Tourism Foundation in 2016, that the night sky was as beautiful as a planetarium. The starry sky, a common sight on the island, has become a tourism resource. An island-wide effort to protect the sky began. Specific efforts include replacing streetlights and security lights with fixtures with 0% upward luminous flux and 2,700K color temperature, holding explanatory meetings for residents and regular workshops with experts to gain their understanding and cooperation in light pollution and starry sky protection activities, training islanders as guides, and holding star gazing events to protect the night sky from light pollution and communicate the appeal of the starry sky both on and off the island. The island is also working to protect the night sky from light pollution and convey the charm of the starry sky to the public. The “Light Pollution Prevention Ordinance to Protect the Beautiful Starry Sky of Kozushima Village,” which specifies the responsibilities of residents and businesses to prevent light pollution, will be enacted in 2019, and rules are being developed to…
Modern Kagurazaka still conveys the atmosphere of its once flourishing Edo Era streets. Old Japanese restaurants and bars line the narrow alleyways and with softly glowing lantern light and welcome signs to complete the scene, one forgets that this is Shinjuku Ward in the middle of Tokyo. In this historical neighborhood warm lantern light is all but a natural presence. Compared to the white lights of Ikebukuro and Shinjuku glowing brightly in the distance, Kagurazaka is submerged in darkness. Buildings in Kagurazaka are lower and lower color-temperature light also peaks out from the many alleyways. Kagurazaka Street, running down the center of this neighborhood, is the only really bright spot, except for the lights reflecting off the canal along Sotobori Street. A prized neighborhood for shopping and entertainment during the Edo period, the historical Kagurazaka Shopping Street is a 700 meter long living time slip. New and old shops are jumbled together along the street with specially designed, lantern-like street lights placed at intervals along the edge of the sidewalk. From Kaguraza`s main street several narrow alleyways lead to the interior of the neighborhood where the scale of lighting is downsized to human proportions. Outside restaurants on Hyogo Yokocyo, one of the more famous back streets, softly glowing lanterns light the entrance and also reflect of the cobbled street and traditional-style fence for a very old Japanese atmosphere.

