Where on Kyushu island can I get a view of a launch from Tanegashima Space Center?

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I opted for Satamisaki (佐多岬, Cape Sata), the southernmost point of Kyushu. The observation deck (展望台) is ~73 km from the launch area as the crow flies. And it seems to be a fairly popular destination for watching launches, as there were plenty of other people there too - some with telescopes and other equipment.

According to Google Maps, the parking lot closes at 5 PM, but it turns out that the parking area is open and free for use throughout the day and only the information centre and other buildings are closed. The toilets also remain open. Unfortunately, it seems that the only vending machines in the area are inside the buildings and the nearest convenience stores are 20+ km away, so stock up on refreshments before coming.

Other possible locations:

  1. The parking lot itself. It has a fairly open view of the sea and Tanegashima island, and I think you can remain seated in your car and watch the launch. There were plenty of cars when I arrived there around 22:45, and a few more cars pulled in by the time I left for the observation deck around 23:00. According to the Satamisaki website, there's space for 40 cars.
  2. Tajiri beach. This was my backup plan. While driving to Satamisaki, I didn't see any cars there, but on the way back there were a couple of cars parked across the road from the beach. (I speculate that they might have been people who arrived too late at the Satamisaki parking lot.)

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