THE RYOKAN COLLECTION

In a highly unique offering installed by a previous director enthralled with the stars, Otani Sanso offers free nightly sessions at an astronomical observatory on the roof. This is no tripod-mounted hobbyist’s telescope either, but a full-size, computer-operated rig housed in a rotating dome. Guided by a specialist who teaches about the objects visible that night, guests step to the eye piece and gasp in delight, seeing Saturn’s iconic rings for the first time or the moon’s canals in crystalline detail.