2026 Full-Day Course: Stargazing at Miyagase Lakeside Park (宮ヶ瀬湖畔園地)

This is a day for your family to gaze up at a night sky far from city lights, on the shore of Miyagase Lake (宮ヶ瀬湖), a dam lake in the mountains. Miyagase Lakeside Park (宮ヶ瀬湖畔園地) is located in Kiyokawa Village, Aiko District, and surrounded by the mountains of Tanzawa, you can encounter a darkness of sky hard to believe is so close to the greater Tokyo area. In the afternoon, start at Prefectural Aikawa Park (県立あいかわ公園), which spreads out right below the Miyagase Dam (宮ヶ瀬ダム). Let the kids play plenty with the large play equipment and wide lawn, then move to the lakeside park to connect from dusk into stargazing. The park's general parking lots at Konakazawa and Mizu no Sato are both open 9:00 AM-5:00 PM year-round (the Toriihara park parking lot is also 9:00 AM-5:00 PM). Parking fees: Konakazawa is free for the first 30 minutes on weekdays, 300 yen for under 2 hours, and 500 yen for 2 hours or more (500 yen for 2 hours or more on weekends/holidays); Mizu no Sato is free for under 2 hours on weekdays and 1,500 yen for 2 hours or more (500 yen for 2 hours or more on weekends/holidays); Toriihara park is free. Since the parking lots close at 5:00 PM, if you're planning to observe the stars after sunset, be sure to check the official website in advance for that day's parking availability and nighttime access before heading out. Lakeside evenings get cold in autumn, so come well prepared for the cold.