Date of Issue: March 28, 2023・Activity 1/ City Night Survey : Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto（2022.11.10-12） City Night Survey : Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto 2022.11.10-12　Mari Kubota + Noriko Higashi In July 2020, Hitoyoshi City in Kumamoto Prefecture was devastated by catastrophic flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Since the disaster, the city has made steady efforts toward recovery— efforts in which lighting has played a significant role. To understand how lighting has contributed to the city’s revitalization, we conducted interviews with local stakeholders, including hot spring inn owners and city officials, and followed up with an on-site investigation of the actual lighting projects. From July 3 to 4, 2020, torrential rains caused the Kuma River to overflow, resulting in catastrophic flooding in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Known for its scenic beauty, hot springs, and hospitality centered around local shochu, this tourism-driven city suffered devastating damage—not only from the flooding but also from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the disaster, a local inn owner launched the Hitoyoshi Hikari no Fukkō Project (Hitoyoshi Light Recovery Project), using light as a tool for recovery. In 2021, Hitoyoshi was selected as a model city for Japan’s Cabinet Office-led Super City (SC) initiative, proposing a future-oriented recovery plan. This plan placed lighting as a key component, aiming to promote both disaster resilience and tourism attraction through thoughtful illumination. This survey included interviews with stakeholders such as hot spring inn owners, city officials, and lighting designers involved in…

Already it has been seven years since I started to teach in the Department of Scenography, Display, and Fashion Design at Musashino Art University. Of course, I am not only teaching my students about lighting design, but the third-year students who choose my seminar class observe society and work on projects through a filter of “light”. This could be a politically biased education, but lighting is absolutely necessary in every aspect of our lives. Particularly in this department, I can’t image scenography, display, or fashion design without light and if my politically biased lighting education helps to nurture a unique human resource then fantastic! This year, with my third-year students in tow, we visited Iwamuro Hot Spring in Niigata Prefecture a number of times to work on a lighting project to boost economic development in the area. You can think of this as a modern group project by Musashino Art U. for the economical development of this hot spring town. From street planning, graphic design, and souvenirs to street furniture and the soundscape, we have incorporated a wide range of variables as we push this project along. Our team prose was “A Lighting Plan for Environmental Design” employed with proposals for extensive lighting designs. On two of our three previous trips, we surveyed the area and did lighting experiments. For the future of Iwamuro Hot Springs it is uncertain what kind of lighting they will propose, but my students were…

Review of Kyoto & Sangenjaya Night Walk 2023.10.27　　Yuki Ito Very lively discussion on the theme of darkness Today’s salon was a review of the night walk surveys focusing on the darkness of the city. It was a hybrid session with online participants from Kyoto as well. There was a friendly atmosphere in the LPA studio even before the session started, so much so that the students from Kyoto who participated online might have felt a little left out. Under the theme of darkness, we discussed what kind of darkness lurks in each area and what kind of light lurks in the darkness. For the Kyoto city walking review, the presentations focused on historical buildings and cityscapes unique to Kyoto. While some participants commented that they felt a sense of calmness in dimly lit spaces with only streetlights lining the precincts, they also discovered that some streetlights were too bright and were harming the darkness of the precincts. The LPA office was impressed by the keen perspective of the surveyors in Kyoto. Since the theme is darkness, the entire slide is finished in black In the Sangenjaya Night Walk Survey review, each group walked mainly along the greenway and talked about the various dark spots they found along the way. The opinions of each group were divided about the streetlights lining the greenway. Some said that the light blocked by the trees was not good for illumination, while others said that the…

A Free and Open Public Participation event! Date and Time: 15 Oct 2010 (Fri), 18:00-21:00 Venue: Merlion Park, Clifford Pier @ Marina Bay Organizer: The Lighting Detectives Singapore In collaboration with: The Fullerton Heritage Supported by: Studio Miu, Musashino Art University (Tokyo) LaSalle College of the Arts (BAIC) Japanese Kindergarten of Singapore “Turn off the lights and take it slow” Candle Night, an environmental and energy conservation event that helps in finding one’s inner sense of time, is the brainchild of a non-profit environmental group in Japan. During this one night event, main building facilities are “lit down”, and candle light events are held. Previous Candle Night events include the Candle Night @OMOTESANDO @ Eco Avenue held since 2003. For the inaugural Candle Night @ Marina Bay, the Lighting Detectives together with public participants lit the waterfront in Marina Bay using candles in floating lanterns. Ambient lighting of the buildings in the vicinity will be dimmed in order to achieve the appropriate darkness required to enjoy the spectacle. Participating cafes and restaurants all along the waterfront enjoied the surrounding atmosphere of soft light with specially designed candles and lanterns in an outdoor seating. Using recyclable materials as the principal theme, children from the Japanese Kindergarten of Singapore created lanterns in pre-event workshops and floated them in the water around the Clifford Pier at twilight. Art students from Singapore and Japan Joined them and also created beautiful lanterns and candle installations…

The infrastructure of Munbai is well built, creating a well-lit road surface from a horrendous traffic situation and colonial technology. In contrast, the chaotic bazaar boasts incandescent lights. Rich and poor, concentrated light and shadows all inhabit the same spaces. Looking down on the market, clothes and other daily necessities are laid out in narrow shops. The intense glow of a single light in front of each shop, also contributes to the public lighting environment. As the night cools off, the market becomes a clutter of people and our camera attracts the interests of many shoppers. A section sketch of the marketplace. 500lx registered at ground level in the middle of the narrow street, the same amount needed for an office environment.