Mt. Kiro Observatory
Mt. Kiro Observatory, located at 487-4 Minamiura, Yoshiumi-cho, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, sits atop the 307 m summit of Mt. Kiro at the southern tip of Oshima Island. Designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma as an «earth-integrated» viewing deck, it was completed in 1994 and won the ARCASIA Gold Medal for Architecture in 1995. The observatory is buried into the ground so that the mountain's outline remains intact — viewed from above, it appears as a park, an innovative design. Below lie the 4,105 m Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge (the three-section suspension bridge), the Inland Sea's countless islands, and on clear days even Mt. Ishizuchi (1,982 m, West Japan's tallest peak). The interplay of sunset, bridge, sea, and islands makes it one of the Inland Sea's premier sunset locations.
Highlights
- Earth-integrated observatory by Kengo Kuma — completed 1994, ARCASIA Gold Medal winner; an innovative design that preserves the mountain's silhouette
- Bird's-eye view of the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge — the 4,105 m three-section suspension bridge from above, with sunset light as the canonical window
- Inland Sea's multi-island beauty — Omishima, Hakatajima, Oshima, and the Geiyo Islands strung together, blue sea against green islands
- Distant Mt. Ishizuchi — West Japan's tallest peak (1,982 m), visible only on clear days, especially crisp winter mornings
- Sunset to blue hour — among West Japan's finest sunset spots; bridge, sea, islands, and sky shift from orange to blue
