Photo/Illutration A third-generation clock keeps time on the tower of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture. (Naoki Okubo)

AKASHI, Hyogo Prefecture--A local planetarium damaged in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake will observe its 30th anniversary on Jan. 17 by stopping its turret clock for 12 hours from 5:46 a.m. to mark the moment the temblor struck.

“We must not allow memories of the disaster to fall into oblivion,” said Takeshi Inoue, director of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium. “We will halt the clock’s hands to give all of us a chance to look back on the earthquake.”

Employees will observe a moment of silence in honor of the 6,434 victims.

Panels about the disaster will also go on display inside the facility.

The planetarium, the oldest in Japan, stands on the meridian of 135 degrees east longitude, which establishes Japan Standard Time.

The clock is mounted near the top of the 54-meter-tall tower and has a diameter of 6.2 meters.

The magnitude-7.3 earthquake leveled much of Kobe and surrounding areas. The elevator shaft sustained structural damage between the 13th and 14th floors.

The planetarium was certified as “wrecked” with cracks in the structure found to total 6 kilometers.

A second-generation model, the clock remained frozen in time when the earthquake severed cables.

Its hands remained pointing to 5:46 a.m. until they began moving again about one month later following emergency repairs.

The clock was temporarily removed in October 1996 during restoration of the planetarium.

The third-generation clock, donated by a manufacturer, was installed for the Jan. 17, 1998, anniversary.

The restored planetarium opened its doors in March that year after a hiatus of three years and two months.

Prior to the earthquake, it was considered a busy day if 1,000 people visited the facility.

But about 4,500 attended day one of the reopening, and visitors for the first four days totaled 20,000.

Audiences erupted in applause when planetarium projections ended on the first day.

Inoue, 56, who was involved as a curator, said his hands were trembling from nervousness.

He said he felt that visitors were seeing hopes for post-quake recovery in the light of stars.

A cultural facility may be of little use immediately after a disaster, but it can play an important role of providing joy and fun when people rebuild their lives, Inoue said.

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