Japan to offer Zeppelin joy rides
TOKYO – Nippon Airship Corporation (NAC) is offering air cruises over Tokyo and neighbouring cities in its Zeppelin NT airship between November 21 and January 4 next year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the LZ127 Graf Zeppelin’s world voyage via Tokyo.
NAC cruises will fly above the eastern Japan cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura and Saitama, in its Zeppelin NT (new technology) which is one of only three operational Zeppelin airships in the world.
The Tokyo Cruise gives passengers the opportunity to view the city’s iconic landmarks including Roppongi Hills, Ginza, National Diet Building, Asakusa and Tsukiji Fish Market from an altitude of about 500 metres.
Special flights including Christmas night cruises (December 18-25), and a New Year’s Day morning cruise, are also available in Tokyo.
The Yokohama Cruise highlights include views of the Yokohama Bay Bridge and Landmark Tower.
The longest cruise, Kamakura Cruise, flies above the historical seaside town of Kamakura, south of Tokyo, which was Japan’s capital for more than a century from 1192.
Cruise prices (per person)
* Tokyo Cruise (1.5 hours): from 126,000 yen ($1508)
* Yokohama Cruise (2 hours): from 168,000 yen ($2010)
* Kamakura Cruise (2.75 hours): 188,000 yen ($2249)
* Saitama Cruise (30 minutes): 50,000 yen ($598)
All cruises depart from and return to Honda Airport in Okegawa City, Saitama Prefecture.
HISTORICAL NOTE: The heyday of the Zeppelin was during the 1930s when the airships Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg operated regular transatlantic flights from Germany to North America and Brazil. The Hindenburg disaster in 1937, when the air ship caught fire and 35 passengers died, hastened the demise of the Zeppelin.
Ian Jarrett
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