2023.01.18-01.20　　Yumi Honda ＋ Misuzu Nakamura　 Kobe is famous for the night view from Mt. Rokko as the “10 Million Dollar Nightscape” and for its waterside nightscape as a port city. Nightscape guidelines have been established in 2012, and efforts are being actively made to improve the lighting in the city. We walked around the city, which continues to be updated, and explored the components of a nightscape that is uniquely Kobe. ■“Instagrammable” NightscapePort Tower, Maritime Museum, Oriental Hotel, Hotel Okura, Ferris wheel, sightseeing boats, and the “BE KOBE” monument…. When people think of the city of Kobe, they probably think of Meriken Park. Meriken Park is the face of Kobe, and even at night many people were visiting the park to take commemorative photos. Many of the park’s symbolic monuments were lit up and color lighting was used extensively, but the colors and color schemes were mainly neutral, not primary colors, so it was nice to enjoy the colorful light without getting an overpowering impression. To complement the color lighting, the ground lights of the pole lights, handrail lights, and bollard lights were uniformly lit with light bulbs, creating a subdued brightness. Both decorative lighting and functional lighting emitted little excessive glare, allowing us to concentrate on the illuminated objects. It seemed like seeing the nightscape and taking pictures of it could be the purpose of a visit to this place. In this age of breathlessly uploaded photos and videos…

Nightscape in Jingmai Mountain2023.12.08 – 12.13 Kyoko Takubo + Hongna Chen Located on the southwest border of China, Jingmai Mountain is the birthplace of Pu’er tea, where the indigenous people have created an ancient tea forest cultural landscape, which was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023.While working on the project, we became interested in the local culture. So we decided to survey the villages at night and to observe and report the impact of tourism development on the local nightscape. ■Introduction Visiting Jingmai Mountain isn’t easy. First, spend the night in Kunming, then leave early morning for the destination by plane or train.We had planned to fly from Langcang Jingmai airport, but our flight was suddenly cancelled. So we had to travel to Pu’er by train and grab a cab to Jingmai Mountain.During our stay, we were based in Huimin Town where our project TEA CELLAR is located. We visited Nuogang Village, Wengji Village, and Jingmai Village to observe the people’s daily life and the nightscape there. ■ Nuogang Village Nuogang Village is a historic village of the Dai tribe, where the villagers have maintained their traditional lifestyle. The first floor of the house, with its distinctive gabled roof, is used for tea production and for the teahouse. The second floor with a tiled roof is a living space.The owner of the teahouse told us that the first floor is open to guests and the family…

Chong Qing Lighting Survey 重庆史光: Re-Celebrating History of Light 2019.07.04 – 2019.07.05　　Clement Lee + Iwata Masahiro Located in the upstream of Yang Tze Basin, Chong Qing serves as one of the manufacturing,　transportation and commercial hub of China. Caught　within rapid　infrastructure changes, this survey seeks to uncover the methods for Architectural and Lighting preservation efforts to reflect the ancient Clement Lee + Iwata Masahiro traditions from the dynasties. Ci Qi Kou Old Town highlighted with linear architecture facade lighting contrasting the light blue canvas sky of the evening Old town of Ci Qi Kou (磁器口): Cultural Hub of Chong Qing Chongqing is a technologically advanced city situated in the mountains of southwest China. With a rich history of being a major economic hub, Chong Qing was propelled to earn a place in the top 13 megalopolises of China. With the theme of understanding and exploring the cultural traditions of Chong Qing, we set out to discover its customs and efforts to preserve the rich traditions which create the unique character that separates this Sze Chuan-influenced province from the other major cities of China. We began at the heart of the city: the old district of Ci Qi Kou. This old town is currently filled with shops sells goods and traditional food of the old Chongqing. A modernized trading hub that reflects the bustling old port to trade porcelain along the Yangtze River. It was a commercial hub for pioneers back in the…

Developing Shanghai is propaganda for the world to see, as the streets of Shanghai seem to explode at night under the glitzy lights of this nightscape. One night the groups of row houses were removed, and the next, modern architecture appeared in their place. There was no time for theorizing about lighting culture, and the city became engulf in a flood of light. Shanghai is a gathering place for people from all over China. The bear light bulbs hanging in the streets cast skeptical glances over this developing city, but preserve the chaotic charm of the back streets. Daily development and innovation in the Pudong Xingqu District. Architecture from the colonial period is still standing in Bund, but the glitzy lights are more liable to catch one`s eye.

Guangzhou on the north shore of the Pearl River Delta As the saying goes “Eating in Guangzhou,” Cantonese cuisine is prepared in a wide variety of ways using almost anything under the sun. Residents carry that energy into the lighting environment that is equally diverse and full of activity, maybe a symbol of the recent economic development in China. Guangzhou Pearl River In the city limits of Guangzhou the Pearl River runs from west to east. The streets and buildings along the river face the water with people enjoying the night view from various places by cruising, strolling, and dinning. Guangzhou Xia Jiu Lu The pedestrian shopping street Xia Jiu Lu is famous for old shop houses and as a redeveloped entertainment district. Along with Chinese type red lanterns that line this street are an infinite amount of neon and other luminous signage that create a chaotic and exciting atmosphere. Shenzhen from Saige Plaza Tower After being labeled a special economic zone in the 1980`s, the population escalated and transformed the Shenzhen area into a gigantic urban beat. The city grew overnight like an illusion from a virtual world, but the population and high-rise condominium boom keep growing; which makes for an interesting nightscape.