Coming on 1st of September, 　 GOTO INC celebrates the 90th anniversary of its founding. Since founder Seizo Goto started manufacturing astronomical telescopes at his private house in Setagaya, Tokyo, we continue to make history. Today and for the past 90 years, all employees have Seizo’s motto in our hearts. The motto is, “Although GOTO is a small company, GOTO will be a company that always has a ‘research attitude’ and its employees always must strive to study and learn continuously.”
In 1959, an era when most manufacturing companies in Japan did business domestically only, GOTO INC, started doing business as a planetarium company and made inroads into the world market, relying on confidence in our "technology." And so, our company grew while competing with leading manufacturers of the world .
Today, distribution systems and communication networks are improved and we don’t feel the great distances to foreign countries as we did fifty years ago. But in the 1960’s, the export, installation and support services for large planetariums in overseas countries such as the USA and Asian countries were very difficult and a big challenge. Even so, we have always wanted to serve the ever-expanding astronomy education community and to deliver beautiful starry skies to children and audiences worldwide. Over time, our relationship with planetarians and their enthusiastic work with their domed skies fueled our excitement to work with international planetariums.
We hope that our warm relationship with planetarians will continue another 10 years.. to our centenary and beyond.

Thank you for patronage of 90 years. Please expect GOTO's products for a full century, and on into the future!

Milestones of the past 90 years

1926 Company founded in Tokyo, Japan

Seizo Goto established GOTO OPTICAL MFG.CO.(Company's name was changed to GOTO　INC on 2004 ) as a private company in his house in Sangenjaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. GOTO started manufacturing a single lens refractor telescope with effective aperture of 25mm and focal length of 80mm. Due to its unprecedented low price, orders from amateur astronomers rushed in.

1959 First planetarium export to Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Development of the Model M, a lens type, middle-size, projection planetarium was completed. It was displayed at the Tokyo International Trade Show. The first M-1 was installed in the Asakusa Shin-Sekai(New World) building in Asakusa, Tokyo and the second one was delivered to the Museum of Art, Science and Industry in Bridgeport, Connecticut in USA. GOTO opened up a new market of planetarium projection equipment and services in addition to its previous telescope manufacturing business.

1970 Astrorama all-sky compound movie camera and projector

Astrorama (consisting of 5 projectors for 70mm 5 perf. film), the world’s first pano-hemispheric motion picture system, was delivered to the Midori Pavilion of EXPO’70. It was recognized as a pioneering facility exhibiting dome motion pictures for expos. After that, GOTO produced films with its own equipment and participated and planned projects for films at domestic and overseas events.

1984 Model GSS projector’s digitally controlled planets allow off-earth views

The new Fuchu factory (current building) was completed. GSS, the world’s first “space planetarium” allowing views of the solar system from other planets was developed. The first unit was delivered to the Yokohama Science Center, where a tilted space theater was born.

1985 Installed into The National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan

1992 Model GSS HELIOS – first 4-axis starball projector

GSS-HELIOS, the world’s first ball-shaped planetarium with 4-axis control space simulation was completed. This design then became the mainstream design in large planetariums.

GSS-HELIOS were delivered to the following theaters in Japan outside.

• Kyongbuk Institute of Science Education, Kyongbuk, South Korea
• Calcutta Science City, Space Theater, India
• Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre, Bangladesh

1996 World’s first color, real-time rendering fulldome video system: VIRTUARIUM

Virtuarium, the world’s first full-color, full-dome, three-dimensional computer graphic dome projection system rendered in real time was developed. It was announced to the world at the International Planetarium Society conference, which was held at Osaka, and shown to a post-conference group in Fuchu.

2002 Model CHRONOS developed directly from user input

GSS-CHRONOS was developed following extensive user input. It was introduced at the International Planetarium Society's 2002 conference and gained a strong reputation for incorporating a wide range of helpful opinions from teachers and schools, including digitally controlled planet mechanisms for the first time in medium and small-sized domes. It has since been delivered to many educational facilities in the USA and Japan for 6 years.

• Young Harris College, USA
• Los Medanos College, USA
• Tessmann Planetarium, USA
• East Kentucky Center for Science, USA
• EL　MAR MAIZURU, Japan
• El Camino Community College, USA
• Bakersfield College, USA
• Carmel High School, USA
• Schenectady Museum Suits-Bueche Planetarium, USA
• Santa Fe Community Colllege, USA
• Youngstown State University Ward Beecher Planetarium, USA
• St. Cloud State University, USA
• The Saunders Planetarium, Museum of Scienc, USA

2004 World’s first HYBRID planetarium synchronizing opto-mechanical and color fulldome video systems

The world’s first HYBRID planetarium, synchronizing a GOTO SUPER URANUS opto-mechanical planetarium and a fulldome digital projection system was delivered to the Morioka Children’s Museum of Science in northern Japan.
The HYBRID system became GOTO’s main product and was installed in many theaters.
GOTO HYBRID systems were installed into the following overseas theaters through 2010.

• CSM Planetarium/College of San Mateo, USA
• James Madison University, USA
• Sudekum Planetarium,/Adventure Science Center, USA
• Planearium (Nay Pyi Taw), Myanmar
• Earth & Space Science Lab Planetarium/Frederick County Public Schools, USA
• Marietta College, USA
• China Science & Technology Museum, China

2005 First full sphere video at Aichi Expo

For the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan, GOTO delivered 4 unique projection systems. The world’s first 360 degree, spherical projection system was installed at the Japanese Government Pavilion and 3 other projection systems were installed at the Global Village, Mitsubishi Future Pavilion and Ireland Pavilion.

2011 Total LED illumination for both CHRONOS II and PANDIA projector systems

The following theaters in Japan outside were installed.

• Guwahati Planetarium, India
• Ujjain Planetarium, M.P. Council of Science & Technology, India
• Sage Valley Junior High, USA
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum,　The J. Watumull Planetarium, USA
• Raumflugplanetarium Juri Gararin,　Germany
• Brno Observatory and Planetarium, Czech Republic
• Charles W Brown Planetarium Ball State University, USA
• Planetarium Ostrava, Czech Republic
• HwaCheon ChouKyongChol Observatory, South Korea
• CSM Planetarium/College of San Mateo, USA　(CHRONOS II upgrade)

2016 Model CHIRON III with 100,000,000 stars including 9,500 stars with intrinsic color temperature delivered to Sapporo Science Center.

Details for Goto Success Story