One of Japan’s largest rocket space centers
The undoubted highlight of Tanegashima is the space center! Many people visit the island every year to watch rockets being launched. If a rocket launch coincides with a public holiday, it is so popular that hotels and rental cars become fully booked in no time. There are four designated spots to watch rockets being launched on the island. These offer a wealth of variations: Ebinoe Observatory Park, which is the closest spot to the launch site; Hase Park, where you can see the launch site clearly from anywhere because it is on a slope; Uchugaoka Park, which is near the urban area; and the Municipal Athletics Stadium, which is a spot aimed at locals rather than tourists. The Tanegashima Space Center, which is said to be the most beautiful launch site in the world, is home to a rocket hill observatory overlooking the large launch site, a lawn square with a full-scale model of the H-II rocket, a free tour of the Museum of Space Science and Technology and a guided facility bus tour.
