Remote Tokyo island seeks to pass down 'natural planetarium' to future generations

KOZUSHIMA, Tokyo -- The government of this remote island village is making efforts to preserve its beautiful starry sky for future generations.

Kozushima Island, located about 180 kilometers south of central Tokyo, was designated as an International Dark Sky Park in December 2020 by the International Dark-Sky Association, headquartered in the United States.

The association's International Dark Sky Parks are known as "world heritage sites for starry skies." To be designated, an area must meet strict outdoor lighting and night-sky darkness standards. The organization also considers local implementation of light pollution education in addition to the beauty of the starry nights.

The Kozushima Municipal Government passed an ordinance on outdoor lighting equipment to preserve the "natural environment at night," and replaced all 584 outdoor lights in its jurisdiction with custom-made units that do not leak light upward.

Nature guide Wataru Furuya, 34, who helped win the designation, said, "The island's starry sky is like a natural planetarium. We'd like to pass down this to our grandchildren."

(Japanese original by Naoaki Hasegawa, Photo Group)