Inagawa Observatory

Atop Mt. Oya, the highest peak in the Hanshin region, Inagawa Observatory has invited visitors to look through its telescope and under its planetarium dome since 2002.

About Inagawa Observatory

Inagawa Observatory sits on Mt. Oya, at 753 metres the highest peak straddling Inagawa Town and Sasayama City in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It opened to the public in 2002 and combines a rooftop telescope with a ground-floor planetarium.

Telescopes & facilities

The observatory's main instrument is a 50-centimetre reflecting telescope, used for evening stargazing sessions as well as daytime observation of sunspots. On the first floor, a digital planetarium runs 3D simulations spanning roughly a million years into the past and future, renewed with updated technology in July 2011.

Location & getting there

The observatory stands at 1-1 Kashihara Onogadake, on Mt. Oya on the Inagawa–Sasayama border in Hyōgo Prefecture, roughly 70 minutes from Osaka and about 90 minutes from Kobe by car.

Visiting Inagawa Observatory

Inagawa Observatory is open from 1:30 PM to 9:30 PM and closed Monday through Wednesday. Admission is ¥200 for high school students and older, and free for junior high school students and younger, covering both the telescope viewing and the planetarium shows.

See your named star from here

With a 50-centimetre telescope built for public stargazing, Inagawa Observatory is a natural place to try to spot a named star. Name one through Star Register, find its exact coordinates in the star catalogue, and ask staff here for help pointing the telescope.