What other travelers are saying about Okayama Astronomical Museum
The planetarium was really beautiful! I highly recommend it. As the explanations were in Japanese, the receptionist passed me an English booklet to help us understand the exhibition. It was a pretty small museum that you can finish within 30 minutes.
A small museum that sums up and presents the different techniques to observe the sky.
You can make a tour of it in 30 minutes. There are some events as well and a planetarium.
The weather was nice, so I went up to Mt. Yoteruyama to see the Seto Inland Sea.
I saw this sign on the way and thought maybe I could see Mt. Daisen, so I made a detour. My mother is being discharged from the hospital tomorrow, so moving around will be difficult. I managed to take some photos today, so I hope you enjoy them. ☺️
We didn't go inside the museum, but it's a recommended spot for kids on summer vacation. 🐣✨
The price for the planetarium was reasonable and the staff were very polite, so I enjoyed it.
The planetarium has about eight seats in the front where you can lie down, which I recommend.
The museum is located in Asakuchi City and requires private transportation to reach, as there is no public transportation directly to the observatory area. By car, it takes approximately 15 minutes from Kamogata IC on the Sanyo Expressway. From JR Kamogata Station, visitors can take a taxi for about 25 minutes to reach the museum. The facility provides parking for 30 regular cars and 3 buses.
Visitors can view the 188-cm Reflector Telescope at the adjacent Okayama Astrophysical Observatory through glass windows, explore educational exhibits about astronomical research and observation techniques, and enjoy planetarium shows in a theater seating 50 persons. The museum features display panels introducing scientific research, and the elevated location offers panoramic views of the Asakuchi cityscape and the Seto Inland Sea. The facility also offers solar observation opportunities.
The museum operates from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. It is closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holidays, and days after public holidays (or the day after if Monday falls on a consecutive holiday). Visitors should verify the specific closure dates before planning their visit, as the schedule can be affected by maintenance periods and weather conditions.
Yes, the Okayama Astronomical Museum is managed by Asakuchi City and is located directly adjacent to the Okayama Astrophysical Observatory operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Visitors are encouraged to combine their museum visit with a visit to the observatory, where they can walk around the outer corridor on the third floor and view the research telescope and dome exteriors. The museum serves as a complementary educational facility to the active research observatory.
