Culture & discovery
Tanegashima

JAXA’s main launch centre, from which H3 rockets lift off. The free museum opens 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, closes on Mondays (except in August) and sometimes on launch days, and an open day takes place on 23 November 2026.

Municipal museum of the island’s history and culture, with about 100 old weapons, including a Portuguese gun that arrived in 1543 and the first gun made in Japan. Open 8.30 am to 5 pm, admission ¥440 for adults.

The island’s southern tip, near where Portuguese merchants landed in 1543. A monument commemorates the arrival of firearms, next to the small Misaki shrine and an ocean viewpoint, with toilets and parking on site.

Museum of a national historic site, a cemetery used from the late Yayoi period to the 7th century, where the dead were adorned with shells. You can make an ancient-style ornament; open 9 am to 5 pm, closed Mondays, admission ¥300.

Small free museum devoted to red rice, the folk festivals linked to it and the history of rice farming on the island. A room shows a film on Minamitane’s sights and festivals; open 9 am to 5 pm, closed Wednesdays.

Large cave carved by Pacific waves, whose name means a thousand people could sit inside. You can only go right to the back at low tide, and neighbouring Hamada beach is supervised in July and August.

Sweet-potato shōchū distillery founded about a hundred years ago, which calls itself ‘the distillery closest to space’. For its centenary it is releasing a series of special editions in 2026, including one linked to the MMX Mars mission.