Stay in an astronomical observatory in Minami-Aso! Watch the stars and eat at an auberge

From Minami-Aso you can see the Pleiades with a naked eye

In winter, the best period to watch the stars, you can see the constellation Pleiades with a naked eye. The best place to do that is Luna Observatory in Minami-Aso, Kumamoto prefecture.

This observatory has Kyushu’s biggest telescope, but surprisingly it’s a private facility. Watching the stars here is called “a stars walk” while the announcements are made by a professional “star concierge”. They will explain everything about the visible stars on the day of your visit.

The auberge inn "Mori no Atelier"

“Mori no Atelier” (Forest Atelier) is an auberge inn next to Luna Observatory where you can enjoy stars, food and music. It’s a place where you can accommodate after your “stars walk”. Consider the two as a set. The observatory itself is great, but “Mori no Atelier” is also fantastic. The meals are French, but with locally grown fresh products. In supermarkets you can often see vegetables coming from Minami-Aso which is a guarantee that they will be delicious. In this auberge inn the products are served fresh. You’ll be surprised how delicious the meals are at such a countryside place. The menu is called “Aso Cuisine” and utilizes the natural blessings of the region. But that’s not all. The inn’s owner will select music to accompany your dinner and will explain in details about the songs played. Such a dinner is nothing but stylish.

A quiet cottage in the woods

The actual place of accommodation is a cottage across Luna Observatory and “Mori no Atelier”. Here you can spend unusually quiet time far from the tumult of the big city, as if you’ve gone to a different world. Many people, especially female travelers, prefer to stay away from cottages because of their stereotype of old places with bugs and no running water, but here everything is neat and you can stay comfortably. There is a clean toilet, sink and a hot tub, all with a gorgeous design, so nothing will prevent you from spending great time inside. The room itself is wide and the ceiling is high which makes the entire space even bigger. You can use the bathroom of the cottage or go to “Mori no Atelier” and soak in their rock bath natural hot springs.