~ An Extraordinary Experience Unique to This Location, Savoring the Yaeyama Starry Sky ~
HOSHINOYA, where each property offers an overwhelmingly extraordinary experience with a unique theme, presents a special event. HOSHINOYA Taketomi Island, a resort located on Taketomi Island, will hold the "Starry Night Hot Pool Float" from November 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025, allowing guests to enjoy a special experience enveloped in a blanket of stars. This experience offers a private hot poo, where guests can enjoy floating while gazing at the stars twinkling in the clear sky even in winter. Before the floating experience, guests are served hot mocktails and miniature desserts inspired by the starry sky at poolside, while a staff member knowledgeable about the stars introduces the constellations visible that night and shares stories related to them.
Background
Taketomi Island, a small island with a circumference of about 9km, is characterized by its flat terrain with no mountains or rivers. With nothing obstructing the view between the sky and oneself, looking up reveals a vast expanse of sky. The average winter temperature in the Yaeyama Islands, where Taketomi Island is located, is around 20°C (68°F) with low humidity, making it the perfect season for stargazing. This program was developed with the hope that guests would learn about the Yaeyama starry sky while relaxing poolside, and then deeply relax their bodies during the subsequent floating experience, savoring the time enveloped in beautiful stars.
Feature 1: Stunning View of the Starry Sky from Taketomi Island
The starry sky of the Yaeyama Islands, including Taketomi Island, is certified as Japan's first Dark Sky Place (*1). It is an area characterized by a dark night sky, where 84 of the 88 constellations in the entire sky can be seen, and all 21 first-magnitude stars are visible. To preserve this darkness and allow for beautiful views of the starry sky, HOSHINOYA Taketomi Island has no lighting that emits light upwards. Looking up, you can see countless stars, shooting stars, and the Southern Cross (*2) spreading across your entire field of vision.
*1 Reference: International Dark Sky Places
*2 A star visible in the Yaeyama Islands, the southernmost point in Japan. The observation period is about six months, from December to June.
Feature 2: Immersive Floating Experience Under the Stars
Guests have private use of the 46m-long hot pool located in the center of the facility. Entering the oval-shaped pool, designed to embrace the sky, and looking up, there is nothing to obstruct your view. This experience offers a special time to enjoy the clear winter sky filled with stars all to yourself. By floating in the warm pool, you can gaze at the starry sky without straining your neck and with your whole body relaxed. By feeling the gentle sway of the water and releasing both body and mind, you can enjoy stargazing in the most relaxed state. It is a unique experience of this program to gaze at the seemingly overflowing stars to your heart's content and feel a sense of immersion as if becoming one with the starry sky.
Feature 3: Poolside Hospitality to Enhance Anticipation for the Floating Experience
Before the floating experience, the staff will create a special moment for you at the poolside Gajumaru Terrace. Guests are served a mocktail made with island pepper and ginger, which are effective in improving blood circulation and warming the body, and finished with honey for a mellow flavor, along with three kinds of miniature desserts inspired by the constellation Orion. A staff member knowledgeable about the stars will introduce the characteristics of the starry sky that day and share stories related to the stars and the culture of Taketomi Island. The commentary tailored to the characteristics of the changing starry sky that day will heighten anticipation for the upcoming floating experience.
"Starry Night Hot Pool Float" Overview
Period: November 1, 2024 - February 28, 2025 (Excluding dates: November 9-23, December 9-23, December 29 - January 5, January 12-30, February 6-20)
Eligibility: Hotel guests
Price: 12,100 JPY per group (tax and service charge included, accommodation fee separate)
Includes: Private pool, floating experience, hot mocktail, miniature desserts
Capacity: 1 group (up to 2 people) per day
Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 21:15 - 22:15 (60 minutes)
Reservation: Required. Accepting reservations up to 14 days in advance on the official website.
Remarks: Canceled in case of rain
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