28501 ／ さようちょう
Hyogo Prefecture 佐用郡Two metres wide: the largest telescope open to the public.
Nayuta telescope01 ／ Stars
Nayuta (なゆた), at the University of Hyogo's Nishi-Harima Observatory, is a two-metre reflector that the town calls the largest telescope in the world open to the public. The observatory park is run by the town, with rooms to stay in and evening viewing sessions.
02 ／ Castle
Rikan castle (利神城) was founded in 1349, and around 1600 Ikeda Yoshiyuki spent five years building it up on the ridge. Its three-tiered keep earned it the name Kumotsuki, the cloud-piercer. Stone walls remain on the 373-metre summit, but the climb is closed except on a guided tour, because the walls may give way.
03 ／ Flowers
The sunflower fields of Nanko open in turn, one district after another, from mid-July to mid-August. Entry costs 300 yen for junior high school students and above, 100 yen for primary school children. A maze is cut into the fields, and fireworks close the festival.
Living here
The town was formed in October 2005 from four towns: Sayo, Kozuki, Nanko and Mikazuki. SPring-8, the synchrotron radiation facility, stands in the science park in the south of the town, and the Chikusa river, one of Japan's 100 fine waters, runs through it.
−9.4% since 2015
21,012 → 15,863
58.74km² of it habitable
2024
2.7 people per household
2020
National average 60,630 yen
2023
10.1 per 10,000 people
2023
Population from 2005 onward (municipal boundary changed).2005-10-01 に新設合併（上月町・南光町・三日月町）。2005年調査から市域が変わっている。
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
ACCESS
Travel times follow 町公式「町へのアクセス」が掲載している値 (checked 2026-09-23). They vary by time of day.
Shape
North to south
27.2km
See the town as it is now.
Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
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