Japan has a serious lighting problem: street lighting. It's primitive and ineffective. I realize that light pollution is a problem; but so is not having a safe environment after sunset for road users and pedestrians. The suburban street I live on has zero lighting (and no sidewalk either!). The lighting on the streets that do have it is pathetic. The irony is that every street view in Japan is spoiled by rows of poles - often in the road!! - and spaghetti wires/cables. Useless!
I must admit I don't feel safe, either as a road user or as a pedestrian, going out after dark; but most people would probably think me paranoid! A related issue is that is that cyclists tend to ride on the sidewalk (if there is one!), presumably because they don't think it's safe to ride on the busy roads. Apparently they think it's better to transfer the risk from themselves to pedestrians and their pets on the sidewalk. At night, cyclists often don't have lights. In every other country I've lived in, it's illegal to cycle on the sidewalk. I wish it were illegal in Japan, too; but common sense is generally in short supply here.
Japan has a serious lighting problem: street lighting. It's primitive and ineffective. I realize that light pollution is a problem; but so is not having a safe environment after sunset for road users and pedestrians. The suburban street I live on has zero lighting (and no sidewalk either!). The lighting on the streets that do have it is pathetic. The irony is that every street view in Japan is spoiled by rows of poles - often in the road!! - and spaghetti wires/cables. Useless!
I must admit I don't feel safe, either as a road user or as a pedestrian, going out after dark; but most people would probably think me paranoid! A related issue is that is that cyclists tend to ride on the sidewalk (if there is one!), presumably because they don't think it's safe to ride on the busy roads. Apparently they think it's better to transfer the risk from themselves to pedestrians and their pets on the sidewalk. At night, cyclists often don't have lights. In every other country I've lived in, it's illegal to cycle on the sidewalk. I wish it were illegal in Japan, too; but common sense is generally in short supply here.
I loved the illumination events in Kyoto when I visited. It feels serene and otherworldly.
Never look at the serenity from this perspective - thought was a national policy preference for noise control and for better health
An excellent essay!