Kihoku Astronomical Museum

Kihoku Astronomical Museum, known locally as Kihoku Tenkyukan, sits in Kihoku Uwaba Park on Japan's Osumi Peninsula, prized for skies so clear that Japan's Environment Agency has rated the area's starlight the best in the country on seven separate occasions.

About Kihoku Astronomical Museum

Designed in 1995 by Takasaki Architects, the museum is a four-storey building combining exhibits, photographs, and videos exploring the night sky with a top-floor observation room housing an astronomical telescope for both day and night viewing. Its location, away from significant light pollution, is central to its reputation as one of Japan's premier stargazing sites.

History

Since its design in 1995, the museum has built a reputation around the exceptional clarity of the Osumi Peninsula's night skies, repeatedly recognised in official surveys of stargazing conditions across Japan.

Location & getting there

The museum is located in Kihoku Uwaba Park on the Osumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan, an area known for clean, dark air well suited to astronomy.

Visiting Kihoku Astronomical Museum

The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, except on public holidays. On Wednesdays and Thursdays it opens from 10:00 to 18:00, and on all other open days from 10:00 to 22:00, giving evening visitors a chance to use the rooftop telescope after dark.

See your named star from here

In a place recognised as having some of Japan's clearest night skies, the museum's telescope can be turned toward the coordinates of a named star. Name a star and check its position in our catalogue before your visit.