University of Hyogo Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory
Located at the summit of Mount Onade, the Nishi-Harima Observatory is equipped with a two-meter aperture Nayuta telescope, one of the world's largest available for public use. Centered around the observatory, there are nature trails, lodging facilities for groups and families, restaurants, and other facilities that allow visitors to stay overnight and enjoy stargazing to the fullest. Viewing parties are held every evening for overnight guests, while a general viewing party is held on Sundays for day-trippers. Please note that reservations are required on Saturdays and holidays. Many astronomical events are held throughout the year, allowing visitors to feel closer to the stars and the universe.
DetailDetailed information
- Address
- 407-2 Nishikawachi, Sayo Town
- Telephone Number
- 0790-82-0598
- Business Holidays
- 2nd and 4th Mondays, New Year holidays
- Usage Fees
- free
- Related web sites
- http://www.nhao.jp/
MAPNeighborhood Information
RecommendRelated Recommended Spots
Shibumi River Cherry Blossom Pathway
Visitors can enjoy this beautiful 150-meter stretch of cherry blossoms in the spring. Other flowers, including forsythia and thunberg’s meadowsweets, are also in full bloom during this season, making it the perfect place to enjoy the Japanese spring scenery.
Restaurant 「Canopus」Inside the Nishi-Harima Observatory
Observatory restaurant with coffee, lunch and wild game meat. The name "Canopus" comes from Alpha Carinae, the brightest star in the constellation Carinae. Breakfast and dinner for meals, rest use and overnight guest are accommmodated. We also recommend the "Deer croquette Set meal" using venison, a speciality of Sayo Town.
Kozuki Castle Ruins
Kozuki Castle was the site of a great battle between the Oda and Mori clans during the Warring States Period and is the final resting place of the famous Amago clan samurai Shikanosuke Yamanaka. The origin of the structure dates back to 1336, starting as a fort built by the Akamatsu Clan.
Niku no Hyogoya
Find locally-raised Himawari chicken at this small meat shop that also offers advice on the best way to enjoy it.
Misaki Otoriten Umara Rest Area
"An open-air restaurant like an oasis for anglers located on the banks of the Chikusa River. The salt-baked sweetfish is grilled slowly over binchotan, high-grade charcoal, so the entire fish is edible from head to tail. If you are lucky, natural extra-large eels may be on the menu. The restaurant is open during the sweetfish fishing season, so please call in advance to confirm."
Fukumori Meat Center
"A meat direct sales outlet that sells beef raised on Fukumori Farm in Sayo Town with full of nature's blessings at wholesale prices. The restaurant is directly managed by a ranch, so it is safe and secure, and offers fresh butcher's hormone (hormone udon set is also available) at reasonable prices. We have many repeat customers from far away on the days we are open only two days a week, so if you are interested, please come early."
GourmetNearby Gourmet Spots
Restaurant 「Canopus」Inside the Nishi-Harima Observatory
Observatory restaurant with coffee, lunch and wild game meat. The name "Canopus" comes from Alpha Carinae, the brightest star in the constellation Carinae. Breakfast and dinner for meals, rest use and overnight guest are accommmodated. We also recommend the "Deer croquette Set meal" using venison, a speciality of Sayo Town.
Morimori-Tei
This local restaurant specializes in a variety of Chinese dishes, yakiniku BBQ, and motsunabe hot pot. Others items include wild boar, Japanese black wagyu offal, chicken wings, chicken thighs, skewered beef, Japanese-style croquettes, and minced meat cutlets.
Shinsayo Yakiniku
Established in 1975, the restaurant still maintains its quaint Showa Period Japanese atmosphere. All the grilled teppan-yaki and yakiniku BBQ meat dishes are made only using the finest Japanese black wagyu. You can also enjoy offal yakiudon, stir-fried noodles, with a delicious miso-based sauce.
GOCCIA coffee factory
Special coffee beans from around the world are house-roasted here. The cafe offers various meals and pastries for customers to enjoy and also sells coffee beans to take home.
Traditional Folk-House Dining Douman
This popular cafe mixes the traditional atmosphere of its architecture and antiques with modern furnishing. Spicy curry served at Douman is made with fruits, Japanese vegetables, and beef tendon, amongsts other ingredients, giving it hints of natural sweetness and making for an exquisite dining experience. The cafe also allows dogs and has a spacious dog running course in the back for owners to use.
Ikkyū
Enjoy hearty home cooking at this popular diner. The main attraction is the wild game cuisine featuring steaks, minced pork cutlets, and croquettes made with venison from the Sayo region. The deer burger pairs particularly well with the homemade sauce and verges on addictive.
HOTELNearby Accommodations
Farm Inn Mitsuyama no Sato
"This 110-year-old house was restored using traditional construction methods, and is a farmer's inn that is limited to one couple per day. Visitors are warmly welcomed with a smile and the words, ""Come and have dinner with us around the chabudai (tea table),"" so you can enjoy a taste of life in the countryside from season to season , centering on farming activities such as planting and harvesting vegetables, One of the best parts is that you can also enjoy creative cuisine using seasonal vegetables and rice with the full of the power of the earth, grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers from the farm. We invite you to experience the power of diverse living creatures and the energy of the earth, and to be surrounded by rich nature for a healing experience that will reset your spirit. "
Cobaco Work&Camp
Located in front of Sayo Station, Cobaco is a coworking space open for anyone to use. The space offers an enriching lifestyle experience where people with various skills, backgrounds, and knowledge can collaborate.
G-style Country Club
This golf resort, surrounded by lush greenery, is the perfect getaway to relax your body and soul. The fairways are flat and wide, and the greens, covered with bentgrass, average 800m2 in size. With each of the 18 holes separate from one another, each hole brings you a new challenge, inspiring rich and strategic plays.
Outdoor vacation rental Ahirunomori
"The owner, who used to run an outdoor shop in Osaka, started this hands-on home-stay experience when he moved to the area. The appealing menu includes bushcraft workshops based on the experience of former Self-Defense Forces personnel, and cycling tours using electric cross bikes. Guests are also free to use the self-built huts on the premises, so they can use the Ahiro Forest for BBQ's, ent stays and other fun activities."
Nipponia Hirafuku Post Town
This private accommodation is set in the renovated former Kimura Residence, said to have been built in the Taisho Period (1912-1926). While preserving the thick beams and traditional exterior, the house is furnished in a way that combines the atmosphere of ages past and modern comforts, with locally produced Minada washi paper used for the shoji screens and sake barrels used as tables. Visitors can enjoy relaxing on the veranda surrounding the spacious courtyard or taking a soak in the spacious bath made of Hyogo cypress.
Business Ryokan Ichihonmatsu
Affordable accommodation for work or sightseeing, starting from ¥3,500 a night or ¥5,000 a night with two meals included. Rooms have an ensuite bath and toilet. Guests are welcome to bring drinks.