KagoshimaTravel

Japan's Best Starry Sky Highland: A Panorama of Kinko Bay and Sakurajima Island

About this spot

A park sprawling across highlands in Teraki-kita-cho, Kanoya City, known for being selected as "Japan's Best Starry Sky" for four consecutive years in the former Ministry of the Environment's continuous celestial observation surveys. The sky's beauty here is beyond question. Within the park stands the striking Teraki-kita Celestial Hall (輝北天球館), an astronomy observation facility, and across the grassland where white windmills turn lies a grand panorama of Kinko Bay, Sakurajima Island, and the layered mountains of the Osumi Peninsula. Standing on the observation deck, the rose garden hills and sea you've traveled throughout the day converge into a single landscape. At twilight, sky and sea blend into a deep crimson, offering a sunset view worthy of concluding your day's journey.

Tips

Located at high elevation on the highland, it can be windier and cooler than the city, so bringing an extra layer is advisable. The Teraki-kita Celestial Hall has limited opening hours and days, so check ahead if you wish to enter. If you stay past sunset, you may encounter the full starry night sky.