ATLAS · OBSERVATORIES · JAPAN

Observatories in Japan

Japan has 201 observatories on the map. 190 watch the night sky. 11 watch something else — the Sun, the radio sky, particles, Earth’s field, or a volcano. The earliest was founded 1869. Below: how they split by what they watch, and the country’s notable sites. From Wikidata, snapshot 2026-06-23.

OBSERVATORIES201

OLDEST FOUNDED1869

NOT WATCHING STARS11

By what they watch

Astronomical190 · 95%

Solar1 · 0%

Particle & cosmic4 · 2%

Geo & magnetic4 · 2%

Volcano2 · 1%

Notable observatories in Japan

A representative mix — the specialised sciences first, then the earliest sites by founding year.

VolcanoGeospatial Information Authority of Japan1869

Geo/magneticMatsushiro Seismological Observatory1947

SolarNorikura Solar Observatory1949

VolcanoSakurajima Volcano Research Center1960

ParticleSuper-Kamiokande1991

Geo/magneticMemambetsu Magnetic Observatory

Geo/magneticKanoya Magnetic Observatory

Geo/magneticKakioka Magnetic Observatory

ParticleAkeno Giant Air Shower Array

ParticleHyper-Kamiokande

ParticleKamioka Liquid Scintillator Antineutrino Detector

AstronomicalNAOJ Mizusawa Campus1899

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