Nichihara Observatory, Astronomical observatory in Tsuwano, Japan.

Nichihara Observatory in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture, opened in 1985 as Japan's first observatory open to the public. Its 75 cm reflecting telescope uses the same technology as the Subaru Telescope and has an equatorial mount with a Nasmyth focus. The site also includes the Forest and Stars Science Museum, an astronomy archive, a pension, a campsite and tennis courts.

Nichihara Observatory opened in 1985 as Japan's first observatory designed for public access. The Museum of Forests and Stars followed in 1994, and the Million Candle Night event began in 2005.

Visitors can post written wishes in a dedicated mailbox; the observatory forwards them to nearby Taikodani Inari Shrine, where they are burned in a ritual. Since 2005 the site has also hosted a Candle Night event, part of the nationwide Hundred Thousand Candle Night movement.

The observatory stands at the foot of Mount Makurase, where a campsite, forest park and TV relay station share the slopes. The 75 cm telescope uses the same technology as the Subaru Telescope and sits on an equatorial mount with a Nasmyth focus. The wider site also holds the Forest and Stars Science Museum, an astronomy archive, the Hokutosei pension and tennis courts.

In 2008 the Japan Environmental Association's summer nationwide starry-sky survey measured the night sky here at magnitude 24.4, ranking it the darkest in Honshu and second in Japan after Hateruma Island in Okinawa (24.5). The observatory also sells a paid "Wish Star Delivery Kit": write a wish, post it in the dedicated box, and staff offer it at nearby Taikodani Inari Shrine.