Kihoku-cho Observatory, a Gateway to the Cosmos

Signifying UFO for some, architectural eccentricity to others, the Kihoku-cho observatory could be described in numerous ways. Takasaki Masaharu, the architect behind it, chose this remote location to cut his observatory off from the world, root it in the earth and better connect it to the stars (living up to his nickname as ‘architect of the cosmos’). As the story goes, he dreamt of an isolated but lively observatory, occupied by researchers and high quality material. Yet his dream remained unrealised. Over the years, his creation became a half-empty concrete mass, an oddity in the volcanic landscape of the Kagoshima region.

However, the building was lucky: it is still standing, unlike the Crystal Light building, also built by Takasaki Masaharu in Tokyo in 1986 and demolished just four years later. In the 2010s, social media breathed new life into the observatory. Having been transformed into an astronomy museum, it is now the second most popular attraction in Kagoshima prefecture, just after the Sakurajima volcano and the hot springs surrounding it. In a very real, roundabout way, the creator’s original goal has been achieved: connecting humanity to the cosmos.