TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Skymark Airlines (BC) inaugurated a flight connecting Ibaraki with Kobe on April 16. According to the airline’s public relations officer, the seat load factor of the first flight from Kobe Airport and from Ibaraki Airport was 75.1 percent and 92.1 percent respectively. The inaugural flight ceremony at Ibaraki Airport was attended by Masaru Hashimoto, Ibaraki Governor and Masakazu Arimori, Director, Skymark Airlines. Hashimoto stressed that it was very promising that Ibaraki Airport had seen more than 150,000 visitors since the airport opened on March 11, adding that he would remain thankful to the local residents and people in the neighboring cities for their support. The daily number of visitors to Ibaraki Airport totals 2,000 on weekdays and more than 13,000 on the weekends and national holidays, said airport officials.

Meanwhile, Ibaraki Airport has started to introduce on its website the package tours planned on Skymark in efforts to stimulate travel demand from and to Ibaraki Airport. Also, from April 16 to 18, the “Kobe Tourism & Local Products Fair” was launched to mark the inauguration of a flight from Ibaraki by Skymark.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.

Kobe, a port city in Hyōgo prefecture in the greater Osaka area, is the sixth-largest city in Japan, home to around 1.5 million residents. The city of Kobe, with its prominent maritime port in full view, currently the fourth busiest in Japan, is situated at the foothill of Mount Rokkō. Due to its geographical challenges making flat land a scarcity, constructions of artificial islands have been carried to make up for what it is lacking. The Port Island, including Rokko Island and island of Kobe Airport to name a few, are built on reclaimation lands.

However due to its unique landscape, it has earned praises from all over for its scenic views, especially when night falls, the city lights illuminate the sky and sparkle like jewels. A project named the “Heritage of Japanese Night Views” has selected the night view of Kobe city center, with a panorama view of the port island and Osaka Bay, as seen from Mt. Rokko and Mt. Maya. It has also been given a compliment, “a night view worth ten million dollars,” among the three great night views in Japan, together with Hakodate and Nagasaki.

It has been observed that over the years, the colors in the night have changed from mostly of white in the 50’s, to amber in the 70’s, and in recent years becoming reddish. As reported by Kobe Shimbun, the noticeable reddish color was coming from aircraft warning lights installed on skyscrapers, used as a collision avoidance measure, increasing 3 times in the last 10 years, at 308 in January 2000, to 996 this year. We can also easily witness this when it comes mid-night, when building lights and room ceiling lights are gradually being switched off, the flashing red lights becomes more visible.

Under the Japanese aviation law, it requires the installation of aircraft warning lights or obstacle lights on tall buildings with a height of more than 60 meters. Buildings with a height of more than 60 meters up to 150 meters, are required to install warning lights at all four corners of the building’s roof. As for buildings that are more than 150 meters in height, to install warning lights at more than two points, including for all four corners of the building’s roof.

On 6th February 2010, Skymark Airlines (BC) has announced its new domestic operation between Ibaraki and Kobe. The daily return operation will start from 16th April 2010. New Ibaraki Airport opens on 11th March 2010, and Asiana Airlines （OZ） was the only carrier to operate regular international flights between Seoul, and therefore Skymark Airlines will be the first carrier on the domestic routes that operates between Kobe. Boeing 737-800s seating 177 Economy passengers each will be used on all the flights. Flight schedule has not finalized yet, but both return flights are planned to operate in the morning.

According to Skymark’s Sales Promotion Department, the new Ibaraki/Kobe operation was one of the routes that they have been considering from before. All of the “commemorative airport opening flight” which scheduled on 11th March was sold out, and it gave Skymark a confidence in achieving some demand for regular operation on this route. Also they consider highly of the capability of the Ibaraki Airport and its terminal which were designed for LCCs (low cost carrier). One-way normal fares will be JPY 12,000, however they offer advance purchase discount fare from JPY 5,800. They are aiming to expand new demand in North Kanto and Kansai regions. Ticket sales will be starting from 9:30 A.M. on 16th February.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.