One of the most famous things about Ibara City, is their stars. Bisei Town, in Ibara City, is especially famous for its stars, as its name suggests (Bi = beautiful, Sei = stars). Bisei has had a long history with stars, but it is in 1989, when Bisei Town implemented Japan's first Light Pollution Prevention Ordinance, that Bisei became a household name. Since then, Bisei has welcomed the construction of the Bisei Astronomical Observatory, and Space Guard Centre, used by JAXA.
Spring Moon
Unlike the full moon in autumn, the half-moon in spring is the perfect time to see the moon in crystal clear detail!
So this spring, make a visit to the Bisei Astronomical Observatory and use their high spec telescopes to experience this for yourself!
For more information including dates and times of the observatory,
you can download the leaflet below or visit the Observatory's website!
Bisei Town was first formed in 1954, with a population of 10,788, until it was merged with Ibara City in 2005. Bisei is now widely known as the 'Hoshi no Sato' (Hometown of Stars), however this nickname first began being used in 1982. Bisei has always had a relationship with stars, such as the legends of a shooting star that fell in the town hundreds of years ago, so when Bisei decided to create route information on their roads, they decided to add the design of stars onto it. From then on, surrounding attractions, such as the 'Hoshi no Sato Aozora Market', started using the nickname.
Due to the elevation of Bisei Town being high, amongst other factors, it means that the sky above is very clear, making it easy to see the sky above, especially the stars. For this reason, in 1984, the Hydrographic Observatory of the Japan Coast Guard was relocated from Kurashiki Astronomical Observatory to Bisei's Okura Ryuou Mountain (now called Hoshizora Park). It was then in the late 1980s, when Bisei Town started to focus more on becoming a town in which you can enjoy the stars above. In 1987, the 'Star Watching Contest' was held in Hoshizora Park, and as a result, Bisei Town was chosen as one of Japan's 108 'Starry Sky Towns'.
Following this, Bisei held 'The night in which stars fall '88', an event showcasing star gazing, performances, and attracting over 3000 guests. It is at this event, that many star gazing groups started to say how they wanted Bisei's stars to be protected. There started to be conversations suggesting how Bisei should put forward measures to ensure that light pollution was controlled, in order to be able to see the night sky clearly. After a year of planning, Bisei Town introduced Japan's first Light Pollution Prevention Ordinance in 1989.
From then on, Bisei held many different events reguarding the preservation of stars, before the Bisei Astronomical Observatory was built in 1993, now one of Bisei's most popular and famous attractions. It is then in 2002, in which the Bisei Space Guard Centre was built right next to the Observatory. The Space Guard Centre is used by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency to monitor meteors, and any other objects, which may come in close range with the Earth.
In more recent years, Bisei Town has been selected as one of Japan's top three places to see the night sky, and has even appointed 'Bisei Star Ambassadors'. Bisei has also worked together with Panasonic to develop new outdoor lighting which is not as harmful to the night sky, in order to protect Bisei's stars for the future.
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