In a region not so far away is Hakui, the southern most part of the Noto peninsula. The city has a cornucopia of places and will surprise you with their diversity. The natural beauty of Chirihama Beach, the 400 year-old majestic 5-story pagoda of Myojoji Temple, the spirituality of Noto Ichinomiya Shrine and finally, the otherworldly space museum that is Cosmo Isle Hakui. A space museum in the middle of rural Japan is a bit surprising, but seeing that many of the items and vehicles housed inside were actually used in space missions will leave you disbelief. This is definitely a unique museum that deserves a visit, along with the other great sites in the city.

The question of why there is a space museum in such a small and seemingly random city is definitely a fair question. Historically, at Myojoji Temple, the cymbals that were used in rituals and events were a bit of an odd shape and were thought to look like an alien spaceship. It was from that that a worker at city hall in Hakui City worked to gather all the important permissions from governments in Russia and the United States to have real and actually used spacecrafts displayed at the planned museum. The first picture on this page features an Mercury Redstone Rocket that was loaned from NASA. The picture above is a Soviet Vostok Space Capsule that actually transported astronauts back to Earth from orbit. There are also plenty of pictures of UFOs from all over the world and information about UFO sightings from all over Japan. You can even write your own experience to add to the collection!

Out of all the places to see in Hakui, this is the easiest and quickest to reach. From Kanazawa Station ride the train to Hakui Station, which takes 30 minutes (limited express train) or an hour (regular train). After arriving at Hakui Station, you can easily walk to the museum if you crossover to the East Exit before exiting the ticket gates. Even if you go out the West Exit, just head left and use the underground passage to get there in no time. It is between a 10 and 15 minute walk. There are plenty of taxis in the area and the occasional local bus too.

Does the possibility of enjoying the past, present and future in one day interest you? Does exploring nature, architecture and outer space sounds like the perfect day in Japan? If so, on one of our tours you can visit and relax at Chirihama Beach until lunch and in the afternoon visit Myojoji Temple, a 400 year-old temple, and Cosmo Isle. Find more information about the tour below!

1 Day Tour

1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Relaxing Beaches, 400-year old Temples and Aliens in Hakui City.
Period	May-November
Time	08:30-18:10
Meeting Place	Kanazawa Station
Adult Rate	¥19,800
Child Rate	¥13,000