26 September 2008 The Lighting Detectives are always up to something unusual and for this city walk we rented a double-decker, open-air bus to cruise the streets of Tokyo. A specially planned route took us from Marunouchi→around the Imperial Palace→past the Diet Building→through the middle of Ginza→across the Rainbow Bridge→around Odaiba→back through Toyosu→across Kachidoki Bridge→up Haruumi Avenue→back to Marunouchi. It was a neck-kinking, eye-popping, wind-in-your-hair tour! Sore Neck after a Magical Tour of Ginza Group photo in Marunouchi before the start of the tour. An air of excitement and anticipation as members boarded the bus for the 2-hour night tour of Tokyo. Driving through the heart of Ginza was the highlight for many on the tour. New and old methods for street and facade lighting were on parade, an excellent opportunity for comparing and contrasting lighting eras. Office tower lighting and residential condominium lighting dominated the scene on the drive back from Odaiba to Marunouchi. While white fluorescent lighting was the predominate color some condominiums glowed a soft orange. Members all had stiff necks after 2-hours of continuous looking up, but nobody seemed to mind. Chatter even died down as the bus started along the route, as members seemed to take this opportunity very seriously. On this bus tour I accomplished something that I am too embarrassed to do any other day; Crank my head back and look up as we drove through the streets! As anybody knows, Tokyo is…

2024.9.9 Yonglin Ke + Kunzhi Jinag + Linxi Chen The brightness (luminance) of signage lighting is key to shape the overall lighting of a city. This survey conducted in Akihabara, a globally famous district, focused on the renowned Akihabara Electric Town (Chuo-dori), analyzing the evolution of the city’s lighting composition by comparing it to the survey from 19 years ago. ■Akihabara Electric TownAkihabara is the heart of electronics in Tokyo and a globally famous hub for otaku culture. While it is bustling with tourists daily, the colors of the signs, filled with anime and game culture, are much more diverse compared to upscale commercial areas like Ginza or other shopping districts. In 2020, Chiyoda Ward released guidelines for outdoor advertising and urban development, leading to changes in Akihabara’s streetscape. This survey investigates the current night view of Akihabara Electric Town, comparing it to a survey conducted 19 years ago. (Kunzhi Jiang) ■What kind of lights shape Akihabara?The main lighting elements in Akihabara’s key districts include streetlights, signage lighting, building façade lighting, and lighting from store entrances and spillover light.Compared to the picture from 19 years ago, the most noticeable green and red lights from EDION were not illuminated due to the store’s closure. The ONODEN sign is now an LED screen, and the surrounding lighting has a more subdued feel. Previously, the area behind the bridge was completely dark, but now, with the bright lighting from a drugstore’s interior and…

2018/07/21-07/22 Yumi Honda + Simeng Huang + Noriko Higashi This tour was planned to make up for last year’s U-turn over Hachijo-jima. We took a chartered bus from Tokyo to Achi Village in Nagano Prefecture, which has been selected as the village with the most beautiful starry skies in Japan. A total of 15 participants enjoyed the summer stars and sun. Waiting to see the stars at Heaven’s Sonohara ■The Starry Sky as a Tourist Resource Even on a bright night with strong moonlight, the number of stars was completely different from what you would see in a city People lying down on the mountaintop, waiting A guided commentary on the stars using a laser pointer Tsumago-juku, the 42nd post town on the Nakasendo trail. A sight unique to the mountains: a roof thatched with wood and held down with stones The waki-honjin’s irori-bata and high windows. The seat for the head of the household is in the foreground A nostalgic streetscape This “Achi Village Starry Sky Tour” was devised as a way to attract tourists back to Hirugami Onsen—which had been popular until the time of the Aichi Expo—by using the ski resort during the summer. While reading an interesting article on the bus, we, the Lighting Detectives members, learned that the event, which was started by villagers about five years ago, has now become a year-round attraction. With that in mind, we headed from Tokyo to the western…

The Lighting Detectives Makes Its Appearance in Ginza Date: March 6-April 29, 1997Place: TEPCO Ginza Building, 2F ‘Electric Scene’ Seven years of accumulated Lighting Detective’s research and activities were exhibited in a viewer-friendly show, ‘Shomei Tanteidan Exhibit?The Lighting Detectives Make an Appearance in Ginza’. Six exhibition corners were set-up in the TEPCO Ginza Building, 2F Electric Scene Room. 01　Concept of Lighting Detectives As a corner to introduce the concept of the Lighting Detectives, we have visualized the results of the Lighting Detectives over 6 years with 14 keywords in a box of 30 cm on a side. Look through the holes in the box and ask them to think about the meaning of the keyword. 02　World Nightscape Here, 20 carefully selected night views of the world and night expressions seen by the Lighting Detectives are exhibited. A beautiful night view of a beautiful city, a night view created by natural light such as the moon and stars, Aurora and blue moments … Enjoy many night expressions 03　Variety things emit light in the city There are so many “light things” lurking in the city. Here they meet and communicate with each other. The seven tools used by the Lighting Detectives are also on display. 04　Light Experience Tunnel The cities are getting brighter and brighter in Japan. The lights of vending machines, convenience stores, lights of gas stations and light-ups overflow in a city that does not sleep for 24 hours. Do…

16 January, 2009 During the year 2008-2009 the Lighting Detectives hosted a three-part salon series focused on “Residential Lighting: Past, Present, and Future.” Part 3 of the series was titled: “Looking Forward into the Future of Residential Lighting.” The Lighting Detectives, who through fieldwork, continue to investigate the subject of lighting by using our own eyes and bodies to experience light, prepared to discuss the future of residential lighting from not just from a visionary and dreamy perspective, but by reflecting on current residential lighting and realistic possibilities for the future. by: misa fuji Report from the Lighting Detectives: “Lighting for Tomorrow and Our Lifestyle’s of the Future.” The Lighting Detectives decided to tackle this subject from the three following directions. 1. Light Source: LED 2. Light Fixture: The Home 3. Light Recipients: Occupants of the Home In the future, LED`s and Organic EL technology will most likely become mainstream items making available various options for luminous furniture, other luminous products, and opportunities to incorporate colored lighting into our living spaces. As for the home, the technology to use daylight more efficiently is developing fast; along with systems that couple more elaborate motion sensors with lighting are a possibility. With all of the lighting possibilities present now and being developed for future use, people will be able to pick and choose a lighting environment most suitable for their individual homes. In the near future, increasingly unique lighting will, most likely,…