{"id":45060,"date":"2023-04-06T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T06:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shomei-tanteidan.org\/?p=45060"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T06:54:30","slug":"global-lighting-survey-chiba-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shomei-tanteidan.org\/en\/global-lighting-survey-chiba-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"City Night Survey : Sawara District, Katori, Chiba"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2022.11.4-5 Sachiko Segawa<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, this survey of the Sawara district marks the first time the Lighting Detectives have conducted an investigation within Chiba Prefecture. The team focused on an area designated both as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings and as a Landscape Formation District. Here, the townscape of merchant houses, which flourished from the Edo period thanks to river transport on the Tone River, still remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located about 70 km from Tokyo Station and slightly inland from the Tone River, the Sawara district of Katori City once thrived as a merchant town, to the point it was said to rival Edo itself. However, the town declined during Japan\u2019s period of rapid economic growth. Following a townscape survey in 1974, the value of its historic scenery was reappraised. Today, leveraging its convenient location\u2014just two hours from Tokyo and one hour by train from Narita Airport\u2014the area is being redeveloped as a tourist destination. For this survey, the team limited their scope to the townscape along the Ono River and conducted a nightscape survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Onogawa riverside path lined with bollards and pole lamps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Uniquely Designed Lighting Fixtures
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From JR Narita Line Sawara Station, as we walked toward the Ono River, we were greeted by a bollard topped with a monkey. \u201cWhy a monkey\u2026?\u201d we wondered, but as we continued upstream along the river, we encountered bollards adorned with all sorts of figures: rabbits, carp, children, frogs, Ebisu, and more\u2014each one different, with no two alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These uniquely designed bollards seem to be modeled after the floats (dashi) that are paraded through town during the \u201cSawara Grand Festival\u201d (Sawara no Taisai). The floats of the Sawara district consist of a roughly 4-meter-high base topped with an approximately 4-meter-tall sculpture. The festival is designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and is counted among the three great festivals of the Kanto region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The streets along the river have been cleared of utility poles, creating a tidy townscape. Interestingly, this removal of power lines was not only for aesthetic reasons but also to ensure that the festival floats, which reach about 8 to 9 meters in height, can be pulled through the streets without obstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the streetlights installed along the river feature figures of people pulling the floats, showing just how much pride the local community takes in them. At the Suigo Sawara Dashi Kaikan (Sawara Float Museum), we were able to watch videos of the festival and see two actual floats on display\u2014their scale and craftsmanship were truly overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Daytime view of the Onogawa River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Nightscape of the Onogawa River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


\u25a0Subdued Nights in Sawara
At night, almost no tourists could be seen, leaving only the light from a handful of riverside restaurants and hotels, the bollards decorated with various ornaments, and the glow of the streetlights. Although the riverside road is not very wide at 5.4 meters, there was surprisingly frequent car traffic, which made it clear that this street serves not only tourists but also as a road for local residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bollards and streetlights were arranged in various ways\u2014sometimes alternating, sometimes only bollards\u2014with intervals of roughly 20 meters. The illumination dropped to less than 1 lux at about 3 meters from a bollard or 7 meters from a streetlight. To be honest, it felt a little dark. However, contrary to my initial expectations, the overall atmosphere was consistently warm, with light sources\u2014whether from the lamps, restaurants, or homes\u2014falling mostly in the 2700K\u20133000K range, which matched well with the townscape of Sawara and never felt unpleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Occasionally, light spills out through the lattice windows of former merchant houses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That said, despite the presence of luxury hotels housed in old merchant buildings, as well as delicious Italian and fine French restaurants, the riverside nighttime scenery did not seem to be fully utilized. In some places, warm vertical light spilled pleasantly through the lattice windows of old houses, but I felt there was still untapped potential for creating a more attractive nightscape\u2014one that would encourage not only locals but also hotel and restaurant guests to want to stroll along the river after dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Hopes for the Future of the Sawara District
Although inbound tourism demand plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions are now gradually being eased. Given Sawara\u2019s close proximity to Narita Airport, I believe that if the nightscape were further enhanced, this district could become an even more attractive destination not only for tourists but also for local residents. (Sachiko Segawa)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2022.11.4-5 Sachiko Segawa Surprisingly, this survey of the Sawara district marks the first time the Lighting Detectives have conducted an investigation within Chiba Prefecture. 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