Hill Town Local Studies Museum “Miku”

The Hill Town Local Studies Museum, known locally as “Miku,” sits in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, and combines a local history collection with a small public observatory.

About Hill Town Local Studies Museum “Miku”

Alongside exhibits on the history of Biei, the museum (also known as the Misora Hillside Local History Museum) runs an observatory equipped with a 400mm reflecting telescope, a 150mm refracting telescope, and a dedicated solar surface observation telescope, giving visitors a rare combination of local heritage and hands-on astronomy in one small-town venue.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's largest instrument, a 400mm reflector, is complemented by a 150mm refractor and a telescope set up specifically for solar observing, allowing sessions on both night-sky targets and, safely, the Sun itself.

Location & getting there

Biei is a town in Hokkaido, in northern Japan, known for its rural, hilly countryside and comparatively dark rural skies away from major cities.

Visiting Hill Town Local Studies Museum “Miku”

Opening hours and observing sessions are best confirmed on the town of Biei's official culture pages before travelling, as museum and observatory hours can change seasonally.

See your named star from here

With a working reflector and refractor on-site, Miku's observatory is a fitting place to look for a named star; look up its coordinates in our catalogue and ask staff whether it's visible on the night of your visit.