By YUSUKE NAGANO/ Staff Writer
March 21, 2020 at 07:00 JST
Kozushima island's starry sky in summer 2016 (Provided by the tourism association in the island)
Tokyo's Kozushima island plans to apply for the designation of a Dark Sky Place from an influential group of international astronomers as early as June, aiming to become the first place in the capital to snag the status.
The U.S-based International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) nonprofit organization grants a Dark Sky Place status to locations that have taken extensive steps to protect the night sky's natural beauty.
The village government of the volcanic island, which is part of the Izu island chain, considers the spectacular view its starry night sky offers an environmental asset and enacted an ordinance on Jan. 1 to preserve it.
“An area in Tokyo receiving the recognition would have a huge impact globally,” said Nobuaki Ochi, an associate professor of environmental education at Toyo University and the leader of the IDA Tokyo chapter.
“The recognition will also provide an opportunity for us to think about light pollution, and how overly bright streetlights and unnecessary lighting negatively affect our lives and the ecosystem,” Ochi said.
Kozushima island lies about 180 kilometers south of central Tokyo. Some 1,900 residents inhabit the island, which spans roughly 19 square km.
The island's cool summer temperatures and relatively warm winters made the island a popular getaway for domestic travelers.
But recent years have deprived it of dual draws for visitors: sea turtles and two of its seafood specialties.
Catches of its famous “takabe,” white-fleshed yellowstriped butterfish and “ise-ebi,” Japanese spiny lobsters, have fallen and residents say they no longer see sea turtles laying eggs on the island.
The village hopes gaining the Dark Sky Place recognition will revitalize its tourism industry by attracting stargazers from around the globe.
“We want to show the world the importance of environmental protection from this small island by acting to protect the starry sky,” a village representative said.
The ordinance the village enforced asks residents to only switch outdoor lighting on when necessary.
The village also aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by changing old streetlights to energy-saving ones.
The village's tourism association started making brochures on must-see celestial points in 2017. Eighteen residents are giving guided observation tours of the evening sky.
To be recognized as a Dark Sky Place, the darkness of the night sky in the location and the structure of outdoor lights used there must meet stringent IDA standards.
Candidates for status need to provide dark-sky gazing tours. Residents in candidate locations must also have approved measures to protect the night sky.
In 2018, Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, which straddles Ishigaki city and Taketomi town in Okinawa Prefecture, became the first place in Japan to receive a provisional International Dark Sky Park status.
As of Feb. 26, about 130 locations around the globe were recognized as a Dark Sky Place.
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