The Paris nightscape has become a model for nightscapes around the world. Appreciation for the streets of Paris has helped to preserve and restore them to places of beauty during the day and at night. At night, the streets emerge as distinct axes of light and one wonders how far urban light planning will progress. Illuminated in white light, the La Grande Arche, gives the impression of a modern-day city. Set against a dark background, the lofty figure of the Eiffel Tower glows impressively. Looking towards Montparnasse from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The bright building in the center is Montparnasse Tower.

2025.01.15-01.19 Masafumi Yamamoto + Yuichi Anzai About 65 years ago, a vast area at the foothills of the Himalayas was divided into districts for government functions, commerce, education, and residences, with separated roads, creating a landscape completely different from other Indian cities. This survey takes a multifaceted approach to examine Chandigarh’s urban lighting and nightscape, while observing the natural light expressions inspired by Le Corbusier’s architecture. ■Light RaysFirst, I quote the words of Le Corbusier:“Chandigarh is planned on a human scale. It connects to the infinite universe and nature. It is a place for all human activities where citizens can live a rich and harmonious life. Here, the radiance of nature and the heart is within our reach.”A vast paved ground is moistened by a dense white mist. About 180 meters ahead from where I stand, the High Court building faintly appears. Its enormous facade faces east and west. The sky behind peeks from beneath the portico, and the rays of light passing through it gently caress the huge concrete pillars painted red, yellow, and green, casting the morning sun on the ground. In this city, I encountered several lyrical daylight scenes. I believe this is because the philosophy of Atelier Le Corbusier in Paris, who designed this Capitol Complex, also extended to the urban layout. Until now, Chandigarh has been discussed mainly from an architectural viewpoint. However, I feel it has not been explored much from the perspective of…

2018/04/16-19 Misuzu Nakamura + Sherri Goh It was interesting for me to juxtapose the two cities and their evident priorities with the implementation of lighting masterplan. In Hokkaido for the first time, I felt that the two cities were greatly different for their appeal to tourists. Even though Hakodate’s night view was greatly famed and did not disappoint, Sapporo seemed to be the more popular place to be at night and for its nightlife. City view of Sapporo City view of Hakodate Hakodate streets at night Sapporo streets at night Well illuminated pathway to Sapporo TV tower Dim pathways towards Hakodate Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward despite many fixtures This survey of both cities suggests that there might be a compromise between the balance of two objectives; planning for a potential attraction and planning for functional use. As Sapporo is the larger and denser city, it makes sense to cater to comfort of the people that roam the streets after working hours. From the junction pictures, you can see that there is more lighting on the floor level in Sapporo in comparison to Hakodate. Despite the numerous dotted light fixtures, we felt that the pedestrian pathways and roads were generally darker in Hakodate.And for Hakodate, turning the nightscape into an economic tool could also be the better solution as most of the streets were empty after 1900h, with major attractions closing by then. It was also strange that Mt…

2025.11.09-11.14　Jiang Kunzhi + Lin Huangyi This survey aims to explore the interaction between Soviet culture and Islamic culture within the urban space of western Tashkent, with a particular focus on whether this cultural layering has given rise to region-specific lighting approaches and expressions of the luminous environment. Therefore, a systematic field survey and documentation were carried out across the urban areas of Tashkent. As the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent reflects both Soviet modernism and Islamic architectural traditions. The city features large Soviet-era public buildings alongside religious architecture that blends tradition and modernity. In addition to above-ground buildings, this survey also examined the Tashkent Metro, Central Asia’s first metro system opened in 1977, where refined lighting and rich materials create museum-like underground spaces. (Jiang Kunzhi) ■Aerial night view of Tashkent Viewed from the TV Tower, Tashkent’s nightscape appears as a network of “lines” and “points” rather than a continuous illuminated façade. The road system forms the clearest visual structure: main roads and ring roads read as linear light bands, while bridges and major intersections appear as brighter nodes, creating a legible traffic framework over the city’s flat skyline. These linear elements strongly define the city’s sense of direction and scale. In contrast, most buildings remain dark at night, with their presence defined only by entrance lighting, limited window glow, and reflected ambient light. As a result, the overall background luminance stays low, allowing a few landmarks—such as tall structures or media…

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…