TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Skymark airlines (headquarters in Ota ward, Tokyo) formally announced on February 6 that it has decided to introduce daily flight to Ibaraki airport in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture from its Kobe base with effect from April 16. This was after months of having no domestic carriers willing to mount regular flight using this new airport, classified as Tokyo’s secondary airport and aiming to attract low cost carriers.

Skymark airlines will be the second airline after South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines to choose Ibaraki airport which will open next month on March 11. Skymark airlines had earlier agreed to conduct commemorative flights on the airport’s opening day with two flights from Kobe to Ibaraki, one flight from Ibaraki to Kobe and one flight from Ibaraki to Haneda. Tickets on all 4 flights were sold out a few days after release.

Skymark airlines has also released its ticket prices with normal one-way adult airfare going at 12,000yen, and early purchase discounted airfare will range from 5,800yen to 9,800yen. Flight will most likely depart in the morning and will operate on its single fleet of Boeing B737-800 aircraft with a seating capacity of 177 single class passengers.

As of 31 March 2010, passengers on ANA (NH) domestic flights will be asked to pay for beverages served in Economy class except drinking water and Japanese tea. “ANA My Choice” service, which offers passengers purchase options from a menu, will be expanding its variety of selections from 1st April.

There are some new selections including mandarin orange juice from Senbikiya Sohonten fruit shop, Darjeeling tea from Lupicia tea shop as well as onion gratin soup and box of cookies from Patisserie Potager sweets shop. In the drink menu, there are wine, champagne, Japanese sake and shochu which served in the International Business class. Also Starbucks coffee will be added in the menu from mid April.

In addition, “ANA My Choice Okinawa”, which offers some purchase options including in-flight meal, will be starting on all flights between Okinawa and Haneda, Itami, Kansai, Chubu and Fukuoka. Moreover, ANA will start online pre-booking service which you can purchase in-flight meal. It will make possible to book and purchase flights and meal at the same time. Passengers will be able to book ground services in advance such as Haneda Domestic and Narita International Airport lounges, Narita International Airport my-car valet service etc.

This week, we will introduce three main tour in The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)　Tsukuba Space Center.

General Guided Tour

1. After watching a video in the audio-visual room, participants follow the guide and view the acilities.

2. In the Exhibition room, you will see 1/20 scale model of rockets such as N-1 Rocket and the state-of-the-art H-II B Rocket, and even a full-scale satellite. It also shows the internal part of the Japanese experiment module KIBO by its model.

3. The guide will lead you to take a look at the engineering model of Japanese experiment module KIBO. Being almost equivalent as the real module, engineering model is used for function tests before they develop the flight model.

4. The tour will then come across Weightless Environment Test Building. Using the buoyant force of the water, the swimming pool with 10 meter in depth is the facility where astronauts is trained for their extravehicular activities in a weightless environment.

5. Next up is the Astronaut Training Facility where astronauts go through their basic training. Or, for tours held on Saturdays and Sundays, you will get to listen to the rocket launching sound you would hear if you are 3 km away from the launch pad.

Free admission. Duration is about 75 minutes. 5 session is held per day, but reservation is required in advance.

KIBO Control Room Tour
You can even get to see the real-life operation and control of KIBO. Tsukuba Space Center is in charge of monitoring the condition of the devices and experimental equipments loaded in KIBO and transmitting control commands to the module. Other than that, Tsukuba Space Center communicates with astronauts and other worldwide control centers involved in the ISS project, and handles anomaly if any.

In the room, the flight director takes the overall control with more than 50 operators working in three shifts in 24 hours. Please note that participants will need their ID as this room is a high security area. Free admission. Duration is about 75 minutes. The session is held only once a day from 3pm. Reservation required in advance.

Mock Astronaut Training Course (fee-based experience) Until 31 March 2010

Using the facilities within Tsukuba Space Center, you can actually experience five kinds of mock astronaut training.

1. Adaptive training of closed environment/Number of trainee: 4-8 persons
This is a mock training of joint operation, astronaut evaluation exam, and operation using white puzzle, conducted inside a chamber simulating the closed environment of ISS. It is quite a hard task to give direction to your peers in the closed environment, using monitor, camera and a microphone.

2. Mock training of extravehicular activity/Number of trainee: 4-8 persons
This is a mock training of extravehicular activity (EVA) using the real size mock-up of extravehicular platform. Participants are divided into two groups, one in control room and another outside, to work together as a team.

3. Mock training of emergency situation/Number of trainee: 3-8 persons
Using the facility the astronauts actually used, you will experience a mock training to handle emergency situation with your peers.

4. Mock experience of controlling a space rover/Number of trainee: 2-8 persons
Mock experience to drive an unmanned rover using a special control pad.