Airport News Japan

Preparations Progressing for Sky Day Events at 76 Japanese Airports - Open Facilities, Aviation Workshops and Much More

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A scene from the 2008 Sky Day at Chofu Airport (Tokyo).

Airports and other aviation facilities across Japan will be holding all kinds of big events for Sky Day on September 20, and for Sky Week from September 20 to 30.

Sky Day and Sky Week were founded by the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, or MLIT) in 1992 with the aim of increasing general understanding about aviation. Each year, airports nationwide put on large-scale “Sky Festa” events at multiple locations. In addition, tours and aviation workshops are held at regional airports, heliports, traffic control bureaus, radar facilities and elsewhere.

According to Sky Day Net, the official homepage set up by the Sky Day and Sky Week executive committee, 76 airports and other aviation facilities in Japan are currently (as of July 31) organizing various events.

This year, the Sky Festa will be held at Oita Airport on September 12, and at Naha Airport on October 17-18. There will be hot air balloon rides, open walking areas for attendees and trivia contests at Oita Airport. Naha Airport will have airport tours, drug-sniffing dog demonstrations and rides on aircraft. During the same period, the other 74 airports and facilities will also be having tours, aircraft rides, exhibitions of special vehicles, nighttime airport tours, on-stage events, merchandise for sale, soraben (meaning “sky bentos,” a bento being a Japanese-style portable boxed meal) factory tours, control towers open to the public and more.

There will also be air shows featuring military aircraft at major Air Self-Defense Force bases across Japan.

Sky Day Net (Soranohi Net, in Japanese)