With its name literally meaning “beautiful stars,” the small district of Bisei in the city of Ibara, Okayama Prefecture, is unsurprisingly among the destinations leading the way in Japan’s expanding travel segment: dark sky tourism.
Although various regions of the country, particularly remote spots and islands, have been introducing their starry skies to visitors for decades, it is only since the designation of Japan’s first dark sky place in 2018 that the concept of dark sky tourism started to take hold among stakeholders in the sector.
Taking advantage of unpolluted night skies, this form of ecotourism encompasses skygazing, moon-bathing, nocturnal creature guided tours, night sky-inspired events and other activities. The trend combines elements of travel that have been growing in popularity over the past decade such as nature, the outdoors, wellness, cultural heritage, wildlife and sustainability.
Given the need for zero or minimal light pollution, Japan’s three official dark sky places are in locations that have long been managed by people for environmental reasons.
The first International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) in Japan — and only the second in Asia — to be named by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) was Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park in Okinawa Prefecture. The United States-based nonprofit recognizes places around the world that strive to limit light pollution, as part of its vision that the night sky be celebrated and protected globally as a shared heritage.
According to Ishigaki-based tour agency Hirata Tourism, which offers stargazing experiences every night from February to November, 84 of the 88 known constellations can be viewed from the island thanks to its location near the Tropic of Cancer and favorable atmospheric conditions.
“It’s a truly wonderful environment to experience the night sky at its best,” said Misaki Takahashi, a private tour guide on the island of Iriomote. “I hope more international visitors have the opportunity to enjoy it,” she added, noting that not many had joined a starry night tour before the pandemic hit.
Japan’s two other dark sky places also missed the international fanfare that their peers enjoyed on the announcement of their designations, as both were recognized during the country’s pandemic-induced border closure.
First came an IDSP for Kozushima, a subtropical island 180 kilometers south of metropolitan Tokyo that is part of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, in November 2020. In preparation of its designation, local officials replaced more than 400 street and road lights with dark sky-friendly fixtures, before launching stargazing tours with local guides and marketing the island as “a natural planetarium.”
Then, in November 2021, Bisei became the first International Dark Sky Community (IDSC) in Japan and Asia, marking the culmination of public and private efforts since the 1980s to help the town live up to its name.
Since then, Bisei has seen an uptick in domestic visitors keen to experience its growing tourism offerings that make use of the dark sky theme.
“Bisei has long been known locally for its beautiful night sky, but since its certification, its renown has grown,” said a representative of Explore Okayama, Okayama Prefecture’s official tourism guide, adding that domestic interest in 2022 was high.
Indeed, Bisei’s recognition has even boosted interest in dark sky experiences throughout Okayama and neighboring Tottori, another prefecture popular for its stars.
Each of the 100-person-capacity weekend starry sky tours in Okayama and Tottori prefectures offered by the Chugoku Region Tourism Promotion Association (which covers Okayama, Tottori, Shimane, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures) was full last year, according to spokesperson Miku Matsuo. Most visitors hailed from Tokyo, Osaka or local urban spots because they “usually can’t see the stars,” she said. “Even people living in downtown Hiroshima can’t see them.”
Global trends
Residents of Japan are not alone in struggling to view the night sky. More than 80% of the world lies under light-polluted skies, and 99% of the U.S. and European populations live in areas where they experience difficulty seeing the stars and other celestial bodies, according to the Science Advances journal.
With growing momentum to tackle climate change and build a more sustainable post-COVID-19 world, light pollution — long overlooked compared with other forms of environmental degradation — is attracting more attention.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global authority on the natural world, lists “natural darkness” as an important factor for nature conservation and the preservation of ecological integrity, noting that “a night sky without artificial light is vital to the proper functioning of natural ecosystems.”
As of January 2023, there were 201 IDA-designated dark sky places in the world, up from 100 in 2019. The rapid uptick is largely due to greater activity by public, private and community bodies to tackle light pollution in their areas to meet IDA standards.
Recent milestone dedications have attracted public attention, boosting interest in dark sky places still further. In 2022, for example, Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve became the world’s largest and the world’s first bi-national dark sky place, spanning more than 3.6 million hectares across the United States-Mexico border.
Increasingly, stakeholders in settlements and parks have realized that facilitating the creation of dark sky places not only benefits the environment but also attracts tourists, thereby supporting the local economy.
Since New Zealand’s Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and Makenzie Basin was named an IDSP in 2012, the region has seen a 300% increase in visitors. And, in terms of revenue, the United Kingdom’s 2013-designated IDSP, Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water & Forest Park, brings in an estimated £25 million (¥4.1billion) annually. Covering almost 1,500 square kilometers, it caters to visitors with expert-led tours, observatory experiences and events.
If these overseas trends are a model for Japan, the nation’s dark sky places have huge potential as tourism destinations, even though their unveiling was hampered by pandemic-induced restrictions and reluctance to travel.
As inbound tourism to Japan restarted only in 2022, local organizations are still in the early stages of promotion, but tourism experts are hopeful that dark sky tourism will tap into growing post-pandemic interest for outdoor and sustainable experiences.
“Japan expects more demand than ever for sustainable tourism because the pandemic has changed the thinking of people all over the world,” a representative of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said at the Tourism Expo Japan event, held in Tokyo in September 2022.
Indeed, Japan is banking on international travelers wanting “greener” experiences, after choosing three kinds of travel — sustainable, adventure and luxury — as the government’s core pillars for promotion to support the country’s inbound travel rebound.
At Tourism Expo Japan, a special exhibit area was dedicated to the introduction of four new kinds of adventure tourism, one of which was named hoshizora (starry skies) tourism. In addition to established dark sky spots, there was representation from up-and-coming destinations such as Achi, a village in Nagano Prefecture that offers a ride through the starry sky via a 2,500-meter-long ropeway at an altitude of 1,400 meters, and Yoron, the southernmost of Kagoshima Prefecture’s Amami Islands, whose Yoron Station observation point boasts views of the Milky Way.
Invigorating communities
Bisei is said to take its name from the first letters of the Miyama and Hoshida rivers that run through it, but legend says the town marks the spot where a shooting star fell to earth in three parts. This astrological event prompted local people to build a shrine at each site to worship the star and embedded in the community a love of the night sky that continues to this day.
As early as the 1920s, the town was known among Japanese astronomers, who have attributed its top-quality stargazing conditions to the dark sky, minimal air fluctuations and high number of days with good weather.
In 1989, Bisei enacted Japan’s first ordinance on preventing light pollution, the first in a series of steps to protect the night sky, which culminated in its 2020 public-private partnership with Panasonic Holdings to develop gentle street lights with zero light leaking upward. And the town continues to “adopt quality lighting ordinances and undertake efforts to educate residents about the importance of dark skies,” as required by the IDA. The darker it is at ground level, the more brilliantly bright celestial objects appear.
Globally, dark sky tourism acts as a valuable addition to destinations’ offerings, as it necessitates an overnight stay and is accessible year-round, providing much-needed income during the offseason. For Bisei, a town with an aging population of about 4,000 people that has limited daytime appeal, it can help ensure the community’s survival. An increase in visitors could revitalize the local economy, creating the need for more accommodation, dining facilities and shops, which could mitigate population decline and foster community-building in the longer term.
Indeed, becoming the first IDSC in not only Japan but Asia has given local people a confidence boost in what their town has to offer tourists and inspired them to maximize the potential of the designation, according to a community leader who asked not to be named.
Due to Bisei’s long-standing reputation as home to one of Japan’s top three starry skies, it has a wealth of sky observation facilities for visitors, including Bisei Astronomical Observatory, the exhibition room at Bisei Space Guard Center (which tracks asteroids, non-functional satellites, rockets and orbital debris) and Hoshizora Park, as well as a track record of delivering tours for groups and special events such as meteor showers. Last summer the town held the Amanogawa Festival, when an estimated 2,000 paper lanterns were lined up to symbolize the Milky Way, which lent its name to the festival.
Now the town is stepping up efforts to create new products and promote them internationally via websites, videos and collaborations.
“We have prepared many experiences such as viewing seasonal astronomical objects with our giant 101 centimeter-wide telescope and a trip to space as you’ve never seen it before, in 3D,” said Kenji Fujioka of Ibara’s Tourism and Exchange Division, adding that further activities are in the works.
Thanks to “growing interest in Bisei” as a result of the IDSC certification, “more investment in Bisei’s private sector is expected, meaning the stimulation of sustainable community development,” he added.
With that in mind, a consortium of representatives from local government, finance, education, the private sector and the community is working to develop Bisei as a model destination for dark sky tourism. Plans include training professional starry sky guides, introducing a night sky-wrapped train with an on-board planetarium and creating stargazing tours that incorporate enjoyment of locally produced food and drink.
By offering a wide variety of options, it is hoped visitors will be encouraged to stay not just one night. “We want to increase the length of stay for travelers,” said Matsuo, adding that Bisei is already “an important tourist spot” in the region as visitors stay the night to see its starry skies.
For the community, the long-term goal is for Bisei to be seen as a more desirable place to live for both current and prospective residents. And efforts seem to be on track, according to Fujioka, who said the IDSC has boosted Bisei’s brand value, which has increased residents’ love and pride of the town.
Like the generations of residents before them, Bisei’s community continues to reach for the stars.
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