About this location: Mt. Kiro Observatory
Mt. Kiro Observatory, at 307 m on Oshima Island in Imabari, is an earth-integrated lookout designed by Kengo Kuma. It offers a bird's-eye view of the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge and the Seto Inland Sea's scattered islands. Sunset and blue hour are especially famed.
Key features
- 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
