Is a evening - night trip for star gazing around Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo possible while using their metro?
I'll be in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo for about a week at the start of November and would love to see some stars on a starry night. Unfortunately, I don't have a driver's license and I don't know anyone in those areas. I believe my best bet is to take a train out of the city for the opportunity. Since I already book my hotel in those areas, I don't want to stay overnight so I would like to come back after I take in the view. Is it possible to star gaze in this situation?
Edit: I really appreciate the comments and suggestions for alternatives, but I'm focused on just those areas in Japan.
Best Answer
Is it possible to star gaze in this situation?
No.
Japan is a very highly densely populated country, and very highly developed. Therefore, it has a very large amount of light pollution. The cities you are visiting are some of the largest cities in the world. You might get some reasonably good night skies in remote corners of Japan such as on Hokkaido, but you can't reach any of those for an evening trip, in particular not with a destination reachable by public transportation, which are always populated places (in some areas, buses may be able to drop off passengers along the road away from official stops, I've seen this in Sweden, Norway, and Iceland, but I don't know if this works in Japan; for trains, such a service is extremely rare / essentially non-existent). See this darksitefinder map that Michael Seifert linked in his comment.
You mentioned that you live in New York. For stargazing reasonably close to your home, I recommend the Adirondack Mountains when skies are clear.
Pictures about "Is a evening - night trip for star gazing around Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo possible while using their metro?"
Can you see stars in Osaka?
Even when the weather is bad and you want to see the night sky comfortably regardless of the seasons, the Caf\xe9-bar, [Star Caf\xe9 SPICA] in the Matsuyamachi in Osaka is recommended. As it is a caf\xe9-bar, their drinks and foods are all related to the stars and to space. This spot is so popular that you need a reservation.Can you see stars from Tokyo?
Especially when you are in central Tokyo, the air is not clear, so even if it is night, you will see only a few bright and sparkling star in the sky. However actually there is a spot to look at the beautiful starry sky from the center of Tokyo!Can you see Milky Way in Japan?
This is the summer Milky Way as seen from Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory located in Ishigaki City in Okinawa Prefecture. Ishigakijima is at a lower latitude than the Japanese Island of Honshu, so the widest portion of the Milky Way can be seen high in the sky.How many nights does Osaka and Kyoto have?
I recommend at least 5 days to see the must-see of the Kansai region, namely Osaka and Kyoto. The best is if you can stay at least 8 days, which will allow you to visit all the best highlights of Kansai: Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji and Hiroshima.Riding Japan's Overnight Bus on a Small Budget from Tokyo to Kyoto
More answers regarding is a evening - night trip for star gazing around Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo possible while using their metro?
Answer 2
It depends on your expectations, the weather and the time the sun sets.
Although I never saw anything near the clarity of the night sky in comparison to places like rural Quebec, I was able to see many stars once outside of Japanese cities.
Indeed the cities you've mentioned are quite large and have accordingly large light pollution. It seems unlikely that you'd get a satisfactory view on a metro line. Trains are quite good in Japan so if may still be possible to have the experience using a regional train. The main caveat is that public transportation stops running rather early in Japan so you'll need to plan carefully to make sure you have time, especially during summer when the sun sets later. Of course you'll also need to consider cloud cover, since it's not uncommon for the sky to be overcast in Japan.
One place I was able to see a decent amount of stars was near Yamanashishi, despite some local light pollution. Yamanashi is about two hours outside of Tokyo by train. Specifically, there is a great view from the pools of the Hottarakashi Onsen which is about an hour hike up the mountain from Yamanashishi Station. The last train back to Tokyo leaves around 10p, so this may only be doable as a day trip in winter when it gets dark early.
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