A total eclipse of the sun will occur on July 22, 2009. The path of totality (where the sun is completely shadowed by the moon) begins at the city of Surat located on the West coast of India, and passes through Varanasi, Paro (Bhutan), Chongqing (China), Shanghai (China), the southern islands of Japan, and then over the Pacific Ocean.

In Japan, the total eclipse can be viewed overland from the following areas. Firstly from the remote islands of Kagoshima prefecture of the Kyushu region — from the southern part of Tanegashima island to the northern part of Amami-Oshima island. Secondly from Kitaiwojima island on the Pacific, one of the islands that forms the archipelago of Ogasawara Islands which is under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

These islands are small and mountainous with little flatland ideal for observation. Access from the mainland is not easy and accommodation facilities, infrastructure, and water supply are very limited. Despite these drawbacks, the long duration time of the total eclipse is noteworthy. It lasts for over 6 minutes, the longest of this century.

The ecology, culture, and history of these southern islands are very unique. Because of it's geographical location, a distinct culture have been formed under the influence of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa), Polynesian and Micronesian cultures. For a long time, the islanders had suffered oppression and exploitation from the central Japanese government. The eclipse is a wonderful opportunity to explore this remote area which is little known even to the Japanese people.