Planetaria Tokyo: Stars and Healing

Posted on 06/25/2021 Last updated on 08/25/2021

“It’s one of those fleeting moments in your life that your mind may forget but
your heart won’t.”

If I were to break down my experience here into three words they’d be: starry, realistic and futuristic. I can still feel the velvety touch of the soft round pillow where my head rested during the experience and the different constellations surrounding me, paralyzing my senses with their beauty.

It is in Yurakucho, Tokyo that you will find Japan’s first full dome theater complex named ‘The Planetaria Tokyo’. It is one of three theaters directly managed by Konica Minolta Planetarium, which is a manufacturer of Planetarium technologies. From projection mapping of starry night skies to highly immersive audio—this is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Not only this, they also teamed up with voice recording artists to narrate and give life to their visions of night skies.

Planetaria Tokyo is divided into three different areas, simply named Dome 1, Dome 2 and Virtual Link Theater. Each of these areas has a special function that suits the audience’s unique tastes. The most unique one for me is their Virtual Link Theater, which offers an outer space experience for its audiences. You will have to take a seat in a cocoon-shaped VR chair and put on some VR glasses which show you the real night skies.

Then there is Dome 1 or the ‘Multi-purpose Digital Dome Theater’, which is offers an 8K Resolution show that seeks to create the experience of the “Future” for the audience. The Dome’s tech is capable of floor-to-ceiling projection mapping— making the audience feel like they are literally floating in outer space. This dome is also used for live musical performances and ‘night talks’ where the audience may enjoy their favorite artists or speakers while availing themselves of the theater’s refreshments.

Finally, there is Dome 2, also called as ‘Planetarium Dome Theater’ where we watched the “Starry Night in France”. A show that details the odyssey of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry — the author and creator of The Little Prince. Along with this, they also showed other stories that took place under the Starry Parisian Skies. I revisited to stories of Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Andromeda.

I toured the city of Leon (among others) and allowed myself to be lulled by a tantric melody while gazing at the stars and the view of the night skies over Paris. It was heartwarming and interactive— as if for a moment we were all heavenly bodies suspended in space — gazing upon the chaos and beauty of the human realm.

My favorite part was towards the end of the show where the narrator asked us all to relax and moved on to play a bittersweet violin piece— suddenly all the projectors were turned off and it was all just darkness around us. Then little by little the starts started appearing, culminating with a beautiful view of the Milky Way galaxy.

As I gazed around me I could see a lot of people holding hands— families, couples, a mother and her child. It was truly beautiful and created a special bond with whoever you were with at that moment. I’d swear it was the perfect place for a love confession or a marriage proposal. And all of this was done through a combination of the Cosmo Leap II — Konica Minolta’s newest projector — and Sound Dome technology.

The shows were also narrated in English and Chinese for those who can’t understand Japanese— all you have to do is inform the staff and borrow a special ear piece at the entrance of the dome. The staff will also assist you in setting it up before the beginning of the show.

All in all, it was a heart-warming and a truly special experience. I definitely
recommend it— especially for an astrophile like myself. My advice when
visiting for the first time is to book your tickets online— that way you can
make sure that you have a good seat and even enjoy their bead cushion
seating. I also recommend being at the waiting area at least 5 minutes before
the show starts.

Finally, just outside the theater, you will find Cafe Planetaria and their souvenir shop where you may buy soft serve ice cream, donuts and astrology-related items such as necklaces and bath bombs. Before you leave, sure to stop by, and bring a piece of the galaxy back to your own home.

All images for this article were provided by Zygel Doll Jamelano.