Stargazing at Kiso Observatory: can you visit the 105 cm Schmidt telescope?
· Avinash Kumar
Sky Map runs on iPhone. The app is available in 13 languages, including English, Japanese, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
Kiso Observatory, run by the University of Tokyo at 1,120 m in Kiso, Nagano, lets you see its 105 cm Schmidt telescope for free by day from April to December. Night stargazing on the grounds is only possible at the yearly open day, because astronomers observe there after dark.
What is the Kiso Observatory?
It opened in 1974 and uses Kiso’s dark sky and the wide field of the 105 cm Schmidt telescope for research and education, according to the University of Tokyo. Its wide-field camera is called Tomo-e Gozen.
When can you visit Kiso Observatory?
| Month | Visiting hours |
|---|---|
| April to August | 10:00 to 17:00 |
| September | 10:00 to 16:30 |
| October | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| November to December | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| January to March | Closed (snow falling off the dome, icy steps) |
- Free, no booking; you see the exhibition room and the telescope from a viewing room on the 2nd floor (not barrier-free).
- Bears sometimes appear on the grounds. Make noise as you walk.
- No drones; no entry outside visiting hours.
Is there a Kiso Observatory open day?
Yes, once a year. In 2026 it was on September 19 and 20: telescope demonstrations, talks, and on the first evening a viewing session with a 20 cm guide telescope and a 30 cm telescope. Entry was free with no booking. There is no restaurant on site.
How to prepare for stargazing at Kiso
The road up is a narrow mountain road for several kilometres, with large vehicles at times; the observatory says it’s about 30 minutes by car from Kiso-Fukushima or Agematsu Station. After dark, choose a legal spot off the observatory grounds. Pack warm clothes even in September; the stargazing trip checklist has the full list.
Sky Map (my app) shows which constellations are up from your location and works offline for the core map, handy in a valley with weak signal.
More Nagano: Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Achi Village.
Sources: Kiso Observatory public visits and open-day pages (ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kisohp/), University of Tokyo event page for the 2026 open day (u-tokyo.ac.jp), checked 2026-10-27.
Questions people ask
- Can the public visit Kiso Observatory?
- Yes, by day and for free, without booking, from April to December. You see the exhibition room and the telescope from a viewing room. It is closed to general visitors from January to March, and the grounds are off-limits at night because of observing.
- Is there night stargazing at Kiso Observatory?
- Only at special events. The 2026 open day on September 19 included a stargazing session from 18:30 to 20:30, cancelled in rain. Check the observatory's open-day page for the next one.
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