Photo/Illutration A couple pose for a photo by the side of an airplane at Narita Airport on Oct. 11, 2021, as part of a “photo wedding” package. (Yoshiko Aoyama)

NARITA, Chiba Prefecture--Tours of off-limits areas, wedding photos and a specialty craft beer are some ways in which Narita Airport, a key gateway to Japan, is trying to deal with sluggish demand for international flights.

The operating company expects people who have refrained from traveling overseas during the novel coronavirus pandemic to forge connections with the airport in other ways than through flights.

One morning in May, 36 people got off a double-decker bus on Runway A, the longest in the nation at 4,000 meters, at around 4:30 a.m.

Tour participants walked 500 meters down the runway, which was lit up with aeronautical lights. Some posed for photos by lying down on the strip.

The first flight of the day landed just past 6 a.m., and the visitors watched by the side of the runway as airplanes landed and took off.

“I am happy that I was able to set foot in areas that are usually off limits,” said a 38-year-old public servant from Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.

His 8-year-old son, a second-grade elementary school pupil, looked out in awe at the sheer length of the runway.

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Tour participants sit on a runway at Narita Airport to pose for a photo at dawn on May 21. (Yoshiko Aoyama)

The tour was the first of its kind since the airport opened in 1978. Only one in every 17 applicants won a place in it by lottery.

“We sensed the presence of demand for finding fun in the airport itself, not just as a platform for taking flights,” said Toshitaka Asai, who heads Narita International Airport Corp.’s Aviation Sales & Marketing Department.

“We hope to draw on similar efforts to increase fans of Narita Airport so that more people will use the airport when the aviation demand recovers.”

The operating company began offering bus tours in the airport’s restricted areas in December 2020.

While about 100 events were planned for the business year through March, 48 were actually held partly due to cancellations during a state of emergency declared over spiking COVID-19 cases.

For the current business year, the company plans to get more of these projects off the ground, including some attended by an aviation photographer and others including visits to an airline hangar.

The tours are not the only innovative curiosity on Narita’s itinerary.

The “photo wedding” package, which started last year, features a photo session by the side of an airplane.

Officials said it has been well received by newlyweds who want to make their memories at the airport instead of holding a traditional wedding ceremony or going on a honeymoon.

Thirty-three couples signed up for the package between September and December last year. Slots are up for grabs for October and November this year.

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A luggage tag is used for the label on Narita Airport Ale. The beer product can be tasted at a cafe in the airport. (Yoshiko Aoyama)

Narita Airport has also developed its own beer product with Choshi Cheers, a craft beer producer based in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.

“Narita Airport Ale” uses hops that boast an aroma of white grapes. An olive oil produced in Chiba Prefecture is added as a finish, which gives it a flavor similar to champagne.

The bottle comes with a luggage tag instead of a standard label, which makes it easier to recycle.

The suggested retail price is 770 yen ($5.39) a bottle, including tax.

The beer was put on sale in a limited quantity of 520 bottles on May 20, marking the anniversary of Narita Airport’s opening, at shops in the airport and at restaurants in its surroundings.

After that batch sold out entirely, full-fledged marketing started in July.

Online retailing of set products that combine the beer with other local products also started in August.

“We hope to revitalize both the airport and its surrounding community by working with local producers and restaurants,” an official said. “We intend to develop more alcoholic beverages and original products.”

Orders can be placed for Narita Airport Ale set products and applications can be made for the bus tours and wedding photos through the Japanese-language website of Greenport Agency Co., a subsidiary of Narita International Airport Corp. (https://www.gpa-net.co.jp/ja/).

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