My wife and I have been going places to shoot night skies off and on for the last couple of years. We live in Kamakura, which is suburban and within the "light dome" of Yokohama itself, second largest metropolis in Japan. So we've got to go somewhere in order to get decent skies. There are one or two spots within an hour's drive, but many of the places we have gone are 3-5 hours each way. (Less late at night, but can be hellishly bad late afternoon on a Sunday, trying to get back toward the population centers of Kanto.) The screenshot above (from https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/) shows the challenge we're up against. The blue areas deep in the mountains to the west would be 5 hours' drive without traffic, and the even darker blue areas well to the north of Tokyo would be closer to 6 hours' drive.
Turns out my wife and I have kind of different goals; I am getting into deep sky photography, wanting several hours of perfectly clear skies and unobstructed views. My wife wants nice foregrounds in front of dramatic skies; Milky Way is good, but some clouds at sunset or sunrise are even better. She also likes shooting at the beach, even with her tripod standing in the surf. (Yeah, she's hard on equipment; sends her DSLR bodies and occasionally lenses for professional cleaning when needed.) Naturally, anyone with telescope optics and mechanics will be horrified at being where salt, sand and moisture are. Some of these spots have both beach access and a good spot on a high bluff, fairly safe from such concerns. A few of these are well up in the mountains.
This lists sites in Chiba, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Ibaraki, and "other", in order. At the bottom, you'll also find a list of other tools & websites I use.
This posting is progressively updated. Check back occasionally for new sites & new info about old sites.
Chiba Prefecture
Arakine Dam: One of my favorite spots. It's literally the road on the top of an earthen dam, with a lake on one side. Some of the best, darkest skies I've seen within the Kanto area, but still not good for shooting to the west (toward Tokyo). Even though you're in a maze of steep but not particularly high hills (Chiba is hilly but not high elevation), the dam is up high enough to give a reasonable horizon toward the south, good enough to shoot Scorpio targets.You'll also see other astrophotographers there, though they don't seem particularly eager to hang out. Each person stakes out a spot well away from others and does their own thing.
Panorama-dai: Yamanakako Lake overlook near Mt. Fuji; this is for wide angle lake+Mt. Fuji+sky, with also some of the town around the lake.
- Sky expanse: good to north and south, east-west depends on where you set up along the dam.
- Sky glow: problematic to the west if you're finicky, but still among the best in the Kanto area.
- Local lights: almost none; one motion-activated light by some block house, triggered by rabbits and the like.
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car. Asphalt, might be able to set up on packed dirt off the edge, but not a lot of room there.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none; nearest konbini is ten minutes or more away by car.
- Parking/public transport: Just stop the car on the dam road. No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, short stretches of road are narrow and steep, but elevation is low.
- Crowds: A few other astrophotographers coming & going by car.
Katagai east-facing beach in Chiba: This is where we took sunrise photos of Comet Neowise. Wide, sandy beach; there is a berm between the parking lot and the beach, which is a good place to set up. However, you are at sea level and there is lots of sand, so be careful and decide wisely.
- Sky expanse: good overall, but especially to the east.
- Sky glow: not bad.
- Local lights: parking lot lights.
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up near the car, ten or so steps to the top of the berm.
- Equipment concerns: sand.
- Toilets: none?
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Should be fine.
- Crowds: A few other people (dates looking for a dark spot) coming & going by car.
99 Dani: ??? Parking lot at the top of a hill in Chiba ??? other serious astro folks there.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, but elevation is low.
- Crowds: A few other astrophotographers coming & going by car.
Kanagawa Prefecture
Eastern
Jogashima: southern tip of the Miura Peninsula. You have to get into Parking Lot #2 before it officially closes. Lot #2 is tucked into a bit of a dell, in contrast to the main one at the top of the hill. Once you're in the lot, it's apparently okay to stay as late as you want.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: serious schlep.
- Equipment concerns: sand and salt if you go all the way down to the beach.
- Toilets: yes.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: No problem.
- Crowds: A few other photographers.
Arasaki Koen: Beachside park in Miura Peninsula.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: rocky beach.
- Schlep & surface: serious schlep. Rock on the slope, sand and rock if you go down to the beach.
- Equipment concerns: sand and salt if you go down to the beach.
- Toilets: yes.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: No problem.
- Crowds: A few other photographers and night fishermen.
Western
Nagao-toge: Right on the Kanagawa-Shizuoka border (technically, a few hundred meters into Shizuoka), gravel parking lot right by one entrance to the Skyline (which is closed at night). This is currently my favorite spot, as it's not an insane drive and the skies are pretty good. Somewhat
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic to the northwest and west, from the town of Gotemba (which is almost directly between you and Fuji-san)
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: views of Mt. Fuji over the town of Gotemba, to the west!
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car. Gravel and dirt.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: not in the parking lot, but there are some a couple of hundred meters away at the Skyline entrance. Not certain if they are open all night.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, elevation relatively high.
- Crowds: No problem.
If you really want skies and dark, go to the parking lot at the top of the hill. More space, more dark.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: yes.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, elevation relatively high.
- Crowds: Crowded. Space is smallish, and it's a popular spot.
Campgrounds near Mt. Fuji (next door to a Tsukuba University facility): This is by one of the lakes, but doesn't really have good lake access. Most of the campsites are under the trees, but there is a large, open ground that can be used for telescopes if not occupied by tents. The sun exposure mostly makes them undesirable as campsites, so it's only a problem at the busiest times of the year.
- Sky expanse: good, but constrained by trees.
- Sky glow: not too bad.
- Local lights: a few at e.g. toilets. Probably have to wait for everyone to go to bed and turn off their lanterns.
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car if you camp in the middle. Should be able to move equipment via car even if not. Packed dirt surface.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: yes.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried.
- Crowds: Camping crowds; few other astrophotographers.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, but elevation is low.
- Crowds: A few other astrophotographers coming & going by car.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, but elevation is low.
- Crowds: A few other astrophotographers coming & going by car.
Hana-no-Miyako Flower Park: Great spot for red Fuji at sunrise.
- Sky expanse: good.
- Sky glow: not bad.
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, but elevation is low.
- Crowds: A few other astrophotographers coming & going by car.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, but elevation is low.
- Crowds: A few other astrophotographers coming & going by car.
Manazuru, Kanagawa: a bluff on the coast above a rocky beach. My wife goes all the way down to take night surf and sunrise photos. The parking lot at the top of the hill has too many trees, not enough sky, but partway down the staircase toward the beach is a restaurant with a flat spot, enough sky to the north for polar alignment, and good views to the south and southeast. East is still too bright.
- Sky expanse: good
- Sky glow: problematic
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: heck of a schlep in distance and stairs. Concrete surface.
- Equipment concerns: Best spot for astro is maybe 20m above surf, so not a big concern but not zero.
- Toilets: none
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, but elevation is very low.
- Crowds: A few other photographers coming & going up and down the stairs.
Shizuoka
Tanukiko Lake: Some of the most beautiful photos involving Mt. Fuji are taken from the shores of this small lake on the far west side of the mountain. The road does not run all the way around the lake. There are various businesses as well as open dirt lots along the perimeter. You'll want to find one you like. It's a small lake set tight among the mountains, so plan an exploratory daylight visit with plenty of time to find your spot.- Sky expanse: restricted by the mountains, depending on where you set up.
- Sky glow: Among the best within reach of Tokyo.
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: fantastic spot for photos of Mt. Fuji. Almost due west of Mt. Fuji, great for silhouettes at sunrise or constellations rising over Fuji-san with the lake in the foreground; check your favorite planning app to pick a spot.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car, or a few tens of meters down to the waterside, depending on where you park. Gravel/small rock beach, so vibration transmission is low but it's really easy to disturb your setup.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none at most parking spots, but public toilets scattered around the lake mean you're not more than a few minutes from one.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Along well maintained roads, so should be clear and safe, but high-ish passes to get here, so during a storm can be bad. But you're not coming during a storm, are you?
- Crowds: Other photographers coming & going by car. Lots of space, but glare from cars can be annoying.
Yamanashi
Shojiko Lake: Perhaps the single best place to get dawn silhouettes of Mt. Fuji over a lake. Northwest of Mt. Fuji, so late in the year is the best time for dawn silhouettes.
Want to get Scorpio rising over or Orion rising beside Mt. Fuji? This is the place. Antares will rise at about 125 degrees east southeast, Orion's belt will rise at right around 100 degrees east, and the peak of Mt. Fuji will be around 142 degrees southeast, so you'll still need a wide angle here. Either will be glorious passing just above Mt. Fuji.
The background photo for this blog was taken here, at dawn!
- Sky expanse: good toward Mt. Fuji, restricted behind you.
- Sky glow: not too bad.
- Local lights: almost none.
- Scenery: fantastic for the one important target of Mt. Fuji.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car, or a few tens of meters down to the waterside, depending on where you park. Gravel/small rock beach, so vibration transmission is low but it's really easy to disturb your setup. It's possible to find good spots, though.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: none.
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Could be a problem. On major roads, though, so should be cleared and maintained except when actually snowing, and you're not planning on going there then, are you?
- Crowds: A few other astro/Fuji photographers coming & going by car.
Ibaraki
Plateau Satomi Observatory: An actual observatory on a hilltop in the far northeast of the prefecture, with quite a number of rooms you can stay in. I'm thinking about taking my research group up there for a retreat, but getting there is a hassle. Has a large refractor in a dome; don't know what you have to do to arrange for someone to guide you around with it.
An overnight stay is nice, in Japanese-style (washitsu) rooms or one of the cabins. Facilities are a little old, but serviceable. Dinner and breakfast included, but for dinner we were...not impressed.
- Sky expanse: very good.
- Sky glow: among the best in Kanto.
- Local lights: almost none
- Scenery: expanses of the hills around. Mt. Fuji in the far, far distance when it's very clear.
- Schlep & surface: plenty of spots to set up around their facility, a few tens of meters from the parking spots. Hard packed dirt.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: yes. Also food (on a schedule)!
- Parking/public transport: No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky. Among the higher spots in Ibaraki.
- Crowds: We were here when the weather was bad (of course! my luck), so we were alone, but dozens of people could stay here in the main building or cabins.
Other Prefectures/Distant Places
Uchiyama Bokujo Farm campground in Nagano: It's an actual campground on a hilltop, with lots of car campers. We went once in 2020, and got fogged out for most of the night!- Sky expanse: very good.
- Sky glow: among the best in this region.
- Local lights: at the toilets. Campers' fires and lanterns.
- Scenery: none to speak of.
- Schlep & surface: set up right beside the car. Hard packed dirt.
- Equipment concerns: none.
- Toilets: yes.
- Parking/public transport: Drive-in car camping. No public transport.
- Winter accessibility: Haven't tried. Ice could be tricky, elevation is high.
- Crowds: Campground will be full on any good camping weekend. One possible strategy is setting up before dark, then snoozing and getting back up after most people go to sleep and turn off their lanterns.
Yatsugatake: This is actually an area, not a single destination, so it will vary. Are you staying in a major hotel, or backpacking into the backcountry? Even in the backcountry, you will likely be in a campground with hundreds of tents and a hut that sells ramen. But if you get away from the local lights, this will be among the most spectacular skies possible on Honshu.
Ogasawara Islands: The answer to one of my favorite geographic quiz questions, this World Natural Heritage site is a thousand kilometers south of Tokyo, but administratively part of Tokyo. The only way there is via 25-hour boat ride, which runs twice a week. On a night satellite photo/dark sky map, this looks like the darkest place in all of Japan, but the high humidity and local streetlights are actually a problem if you want to look at the stars. We have been, and we enjoyed the starry skies but didn't try taking astrophotos, so I don't know what it's really like from that point of view. Consider it, but plan carefully.
- Sky expanse: varies, but many good spots.
- Sky glow: lowest in Japan, in theory.
- Local lights: problematic, depending on spot.
- Scenery: lots and lots.
- Schlep & surface: varies.
- Equipment concerns: varies.
- Toilets: varies.
- Parking/public transport: Limited public transport, especially at night.
- Winter accessibility: Year-round tropical.
- Crowds: Other tourists.
Tools and Websites
I've just started using some of these, so I'm not particularly proficient at planning yet. I am an Android user, so YMMV on mobile apps.
- https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/: exactly what it says, worldwide map showing how bright the lights are.
- 今日のほしぞら: a website that will show you the sky at any date, created by the Japanese National Astronomical Observatory. A very basic tool that has been around for a long time. Available in English, too!
- https://www.photopills.com/: a many-featured tool for figuring out where to stand to catch the sun or moon or other things rising over what you want it to rise over. I've just begun using this, and it's a pretty major tool, so it will take me some time to get good with it.
- Google Earth: I sometimes use this for measuring distances and compass bearings toward e.g. the summit of Mt. Fuji.
- https://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/static/japan/6/wind good 6-hour wind map for the whole country. My mount is still pretty sensitive to wind, so this is important for me.
- https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/en_wdist/#lat:35.300434/lon:139.057539/zoom:9/colordepth:normal/elements:wm Japan Meteorological Agency map, set to cover Kanagawa, Tokyo, Chiba, Shizuoka.
- http://weather-gpv.info/ has pretty good cloud map, at hourly intervals. Japanese only, AFAICT. https://supercweather.com/ appears to be the same data. In fact, same favicon, so same company/different skins or URLs?
- https://theskylive.com/ great resource for current events, including comets.
- https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ for figuring out the framing of objects. Quick and easy, if not very interactive. (Others have recommended Stellarium and Nina, but I don't have either of those yet.)
- A more interactive tool is https://www.blackwaterskies.co.uk/. Also allows arbitrary rotations, and reportedly helps with planning mosaics, though I haven't figured that out yet.
- https://telescopius.com/ also reportedly helps with mosaics, and has a large toolbox, but looks to be just a shade harder to use, since you set parameters by hand rather than picking from a list of known equipment types. Truly useful (if accurate, which remains to be seen) single-pane weather page listing clouds, moon, wind and seeing for your location(s).
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