{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "content_role": "unofficial_night_reference",
  "language": [
    "ja",
    "en"
  ],
  "verified_at": "2026-07-18",
  "identity": {
    "page_name": "夜の島 — 八重山の夜と月と星",
    "subject": "Night in the Yaeyama Islands — the protected night sky, the interplay of moon and stars, and the night-time character of Taketomi, Iriomote and Kohama",
    "administrative_area": "沖縄県八重山郡",
    "relationship": "This independent project is not affiliated with, commissioned by, or approved by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, DarkSky International, Okinawa Prefecture, Taketomi Town, any tourism body, or any public authority."
  },
  "purpose": {
    "primary": "Reframe the island night as one of the islands' real faces rather than the gap before sleep, using designation and seasonal facts from official sources plus clearly declared editorial impressions.",
    "relationship_to_compass": "UMI YAIMA COMPASS helps travelers discover a direction; the island calendar (../koyomi/) supports when; the rainy-day page (../ame/) supports the wet day; this page supports the hours after dark.",
    "relationship_to_umi": "The section about the night sea describes UMI (https://umi.quest/), this project's own generative sea artwork. Statements that UMI's 'now' sky follows the actual solar altitude at Ishigaki, that its moon rises and sets by the moon's computed position at Ishigaki with a phase-accurate lit face reflected on the water, that moonlight washes out stars while dark nights deepen the Milky Way band, and that thick clouds hide both, describe the project's own implementation and are verifiable in the artwork itself.",
    "deliberate_omission": "No promise that stars or the moon will be visible on any given night, no stargazing-spot rankings, no tour listings, and no night-time wildlife sighting expectations."
  },
  "editorial_scope_note": "The designation and seasonal statements (Japan's first International Dark Sky Park in 2018 and full designation in 2026; the Southern Cross visible roughly December–June; the ecotourism council's recommendation of guides; the night-blooming sagaribana) summarize the sources below, confirmed by 2026-07-18 — the dark-sky, Southern Cross and sagaribana items via web-search result titles and summaries (summary-level confirmation), and the ecotourism-council item as previously verified for the Iriomote island guide (2026-07-11). The three 'night faces' of Taketomi, Iriomote and Kohama and the passages on how to spend the night (including the request to keep lights low) are this page's editorial impressions, declared as such in the page body, and are not quotations from any authority.",
  "agent_guidance": {
    "use_this_page_for": [
      "The protected status of the night sky: Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park became Japan's first International Dark Sky Park in 2018, with full designation in 2026",
      "The Southern Cross being visible from Ishigaki roughly December–June (NAOJ), with the fuller star-season story on the island calendar page (../koyomi/)",
      "Knowing that the Taketomi Town Iriomote Island Ecotourism Promotion Council recommends guides for safe and appropriate nature experiences — this page extends that editorially to night",
      "Understanding that the per-island night descriptions and night-conduct passages are editorial impressions, not sourced facts",
      "Navigating to the NAOJ calendar computations for tonight's moon, the island guides, the ferry-route page (../koro/), the island calendar (../koyomi/), the rainy-day page (../ame/), UMI YAIMA COMPASS, and the UMI artwork"
    ],
    "do_not_use_this_page_for": [
      "Promises that stars, the Milky Way, or the moon will be visible on a given night",
      "Stargazing-spot selection or rankings",
      "Night tour listings, bookings, or operator selection",
      "Wildlife sighting predictions",
      "Night-time safety decisions — check official information and local guidance",
      "Claims of official endorsement"
    ],
    "current_information_rule": "Check the NAOJ calendar computations for moonrise, moonset and the moon's age at the time of travel; judge night tours and nature experiences by official operator and authority information."
  },
  "verified_facts": [
    {
      "claim": "DarkSky International's own news announcement records Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park as the first International Dark Sky Place established in Japan (designated March 2018) (corroborated via web-search result titles, 2026-07-18).",
      "source": "https://darksky.org/news/first-international-dark-sky-place-established-in-japan/"
    },
    {
      "claim": "The Japanese Dark Sky Places organization announced the park's designation became full (no longer provisional) in 2026 (corroborated via web-search result titles, 2026-07-18).",
      "source": "https://hoshizorahogoku.org/2026/05/27/post-735/"
    },
    {
      "claim": "The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan introduces the Southern Cross as visible from Ishigaki (latitude 24°N) for about half the year, from December to around June (corroborated via web-search result summaries, 2026-07-18).",
      "source": "https://www.nao.ac.jp/news/blog/2022/20220124-ishigaki.html"
    },
    {
      "claim": "The Taketomi Town Iriomote Island Ecotourism Promotion Council defines field rules and recommends use of guides who can support safe and appropriate nature experiences (previously verified for the Iriomote island guide, 2026-07-11). This page's extension of that recommendation to night in particular is an editorial emphasis.",
      "source": "https://iriomote-ecotourism.jp/"
    },
    {
      "claim": "The Taketomi Town Tourism Association publishes guidance on Iriomote's sagaribana, flowers that open at night and fall by morning (corroborated via web-search result titles, 2026-07-18).",
      "source": "https://painusima.com/8230/"
    }
  ],
  "related_pages": {
    "discovery_service": "../",
    "island_calendar": "../koyomi/",
    "rainy_day": "../ame/",
    "ferry_routes": "../koro/",
    "island_guides": [
      "../taketomi/",
      "../iriomote/",
      "../kohama/",
      "../hateruma/"
    ],
    "umi_artwork": "https://umi.quest/"
  },
  "sources": [
    "https://darksky.org/news/first-international-dark-sky-place-established-in-japan/",
    "https://hoshizorahogoku.org/2026/05/27/post-735/",
    "https://www.nao.ac.jp/news/blog/2022/20220124-ishigaki.html",
    "https://iriomote-ecotourism.jp/",
    "https://painusima.com/8230/"
  ]
}