The Clock Tower on the Meridian
The Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum (明石市立天文科学館) is a science museum with a planetarium of 1960 in Hitomarucho, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on September 10, 2010 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a four-storey reinforced concrete building with a tall tower, covering 1,094 square metres, altered in 1984 and 1998; registration number 28-0460.
A Planetarium and a Tower
The Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum is a reinforced concrete complex of a four-storey exhibition wing, holding a circular planetarium 23 metres across, and a tower 53 metres high (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The double-walled tower has an observation room and an astronomical observatory at the top, and its great clock keeps Japan Standard Time (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design, the symbol of Akashi, the city on the meridian of Japan Standard Time.
What to Look For
Look for the great clock on the tower, keeping Japan Standard Time, and the round form of the planetarium (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), closed on Mondays and the second Tuesday (or the next day after a holiday) and at the year end; admission is 700 yen for adults and free for high school students and younger. It is about 3 minutes' walk north of Hitomarumae Station on the Sanyo Railway and about 15 minutes' walk east of JR Akashi Station (Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum).
Q&A
- When was the Akashi museum built?
- In 1960 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How tall is the tower?
- 53 metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How much is admission?
- 700 yen for adults; free for high school students and younger.
- When is the museum closed?
- Mondays, the second Tuesday and the year end.
- When was the Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum registered?
- On September 10, 2010 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum (明石市立天文科学館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-6 Hitomarucho, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/09/10 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 4 storeys, 1,094 m², with tower |
| Owner | Akashi City |
| Public Access | 9:30 to 17:00, closed Mondays and 2nd Tuesdays, adults 700 yen |
References
- Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008317
- Hours, fees and access (Akashi City Astronomical Science Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.am12.jp/guide/
Last verified: 2026.10.16