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…

Rich in local history and cultural facilities, Ueno Park covers a large area in the middle of Tokyo. Even though located in an urban setting, we anticipated a lighting environment completely different than the lights of downtown. Between the trees and darkness of the park there are patches of Tokyo`s bright night sky, but the hushed silence is isolated from the city`s hustle and bustle. Ueno Park`s quiet presence gently sleeps next to Tokyo`s vibrant downtown. Approaching Ueno Park from the JR train station.　　The large overhang of the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan is brightly illuminated in contrast to the surrounding darkness of the park. A view o f northern Tokyo over the Shinobazu Pond from an elevated Ueno terrace. The bright lights of a vibrant downtown are seen in the distance beyond the dark trees of the park. However, through the darkness a bright, orange, sodium lamp illuminates the Benten Shrine near the pond. Looking towards the water fountain plaza from the Tokyo National Museum. A slightly bright night sky, characteristic of most metropolitan areas, opens over head with a dark belt of trees and tiny dots of light below. Young couples seeking a quiet spot away from the lights, snuggle up together on near benches.

In the heart of Tokyo, Nihonbashi River lies hidden under a system of highway overpasses and the Sumida River is wide and commanding and it cuts through the city. With a variety of bridges, both rivers assert their own unique presence in the Tokyo cityscape. On our own river tour, we encountered the particular water and lightscapes surrounding the bridges and shores of each river. The newly built Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower next to the famous Nihonbashi Bridge. This is the first skyscraper in the Nihonbashi area and as the sun sets, the facade detail is elegantly illuminated. At the historical Nihonbashi District, a variety of lighting methods are on parade, but the highway overpasses keep most of the river hidden from view. Rumors of reconstructing the highway system underground would help revive the scenery along the Nihonbashi River. The main structure of the Chuo-Ohbashi Bridge is beautifully illuminated. The many bridges along the Sumida River compete with each other for top beauty marks, as each is illuminated in a multitude of colors.

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. 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. 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’s period of rapid economic growth. Following a townscape survey in 1974, the value of its historic scenery was reappraised. Today, leveraging its convenient location—just two hours from Tokyo and one hour by train from Narita Airport—the 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. ■Uniquely Designed Lighting Fixtures From JR Narita Line Sawara Station, as we walked toward the Ono River, we were greeted by a bollard topped with a monkey. “Why a monkey…?” 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—each one different, with no two alike. These uniquely…

2022.10.27　Genki Watanabe+ Chuanyi Liu+ Yuki Ito This Tokyo night walk survey took place in Shimokitazawa, a neighborhood especially popular among young people. Known as one of Tokyo’s most culturally rich districts, the area is filled with vintage clothing shops, eateries, theaters, niche cinemas, and art galleries.The Lighting Detectives previously conducted a survey here in 2009. This time, we examined how the area has changed since the Odakyu Line was relocated underground. We also focused on the newly developed Shimokita Senrogai area, which opened on May 28, 2022, assessing its lighting design and comparing it with the older shopping streets to explore the contrast between new and traditional urban atmospheres. ■Map around Shimokitazawa Station With the Odakyu Line moved underground, a new neighborhood called Shimokita Senrogai was developed between Higashi-Kitazawa Station and Setagaya-Daita Station. Driven by the desire to support the community, redevelopment progressed step-by-step while listening to local residents’ voices. The entire area officially opened on May 28, 2022.Alongside the railway line, new facilities such as daycare centers, a hot spring inn, commercial spaces, student dormitories, and event venues were established. ■Development of Shimokita Senrogai The Shimokita Senrogai area we surveyed is a newly developed space created by moving the Odakyu Line underground. It was designed with the intention of reconnecting the northern and southern parts of the neighborhood that had previously been divided by the railway tracks, resulting in developments that encourage smooth pedestrian circulation throughout. The development features…