FEATURE: Japan's 1st public observatory to mark 100 years

KURASHIKI, Japan - In November, the Kurashiki Observatory will mark 100 years as Japan's first astronomical observatory open to the public and one that has inspired some 300 similar facilities used by professionals and lay stargazers alike.

The observatory in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, has served as a vehicle for "people's longing for the starry sky and the universe," an official in the western city said.