In the reclaimed land of Kasaoka Bay in Kasaoka City, Okayama, there is a farm road takeoff and landing site.
It is a type of airport that is rare in Japan, and it is affectionately called Kasaoka Fureai Airport by the citizens.
At Kasaoka Fureai Airport, every year, a Carnival of Sky and Earth is held as a motorsport festival created in Kasaoka.
However, in 2020, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, the event was scaled down, and a flight performance and lecture by Japan's top aerobatic pilot Muroya Yoshihide was conducted.
In 2021, when the spread of the novel coronavirus infection had not completely subsided, the event style of the Carnival of Sky and Earth was changed to Fly Over KASAOKA: A Gift of Dreams and Hopes to the Citizens of Kasaoka, and it was held on November 13 (Saturday) and 14 (Sunday) over the skies of Kasaoka City.
The organizer is the Fly Over KASAOKA Executive Committee (within the Kasaoka City Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division).
On November 14, Bingo Tocotoco attempted to capture the beautiful aerobatic flight performed by Muroya Yoshihide from two locations.
Please enjoy!
The information provided is from an article published in November 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
On November 13, Support for Kasaoka Citizens with "Fly Over KASAOKA: A Gift of Dreams and Hopes"
The event on November 13, 2021, involved an airplane piloted by Muroya Yoshihide flying over Kasaoka City while leaving a white line (white smoke).
The island areas were able to see the white line flight around 11:00 AM, while other areas could see it around noon.
I prepared a poster with a gratitude illustration to show to Muroya Yoshihide with the local children at a community center in the northern part of Kasaoka City in the morning.
At noon, after waiting for about five minutes.
Just as I heard the faint sound of the airplane's engine, I got my camera ready.
"Ah! Here it comes!" and "Wow!" the children exclaimed, and I managed to capture the white line flight despite my anxiety.
The white line, wishing for the early end of the novel coronavirus infection, continued straight, leaving a large but pleasant engine sound as the airplane flew majestically away.
At Yoshida Cultural Center in Kasaoka City, a message for Muroya was sent with red traffic cones
In the parking lot of Yoshida Cultural Center in Yoshida, Kasaoka City, local residents gathered from the morning to line up red traffic cones.
They were preparing to send a message of gratitude to Muroya from the ground!
The number of traffic cones used was about 300!
It represents the character "義" from Muroya Yoshihide's name. Muroya must have noticed it too.
They prepared 14 flower umbrellas to show their gratitude to Muroya's airplane!
After seeing the white line flight, they took commemorative photos in front of Yoshida Cultural Center.
Thank you very much, Muroya!
On November 14, A Stunning and Powerful Aerobatic Flight Demonstration with "Dancing Performance"
On November 14 (Sunday), in addition to the aerobatic flight demonstration by Muroya Yoshihide, the domestically produced jet trainer "Kawasaki T-4" used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Blue Impulse performed a flight over Kasaoka City for about 10 minutes starting around 11:00 AM.
Additionally, the business jet "HondaJet HA-420" from Honda's aviation subsidiary flew straight north from the vicinity of Mushima in the Kasaoka Islands around noon.
Unfortunately, I was unable to capture images of the Kawasaki T-4 and HondaJet HA-420, but I was able to capture Muroya Yoshihide's aerobatic flight from two locations!
On November 14, the flight times for the aerobatic performance were as follows:
- 10:05 AM - 10:20 AM
- 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Aerobatic flight of Muroya Yoshihide captured from the 4th floor of Kasaoka City Central Community Center
November 14 is the date of the 8th session of the Takahashi River Basin Writer's School, where the author served as a lecturer. The Writer's School will be held from 2 PM.
The afternoon aerobatic flight was from 1:30 PM to 1:45 PM, so I captured images through the window of the 4th-floor meeting room of Kasaoka City Central Community Center before the workshop started.
The registration for the workshop had also begun, but I was so focused on capturing images that I didn't notice the participants arriving one after another (laughs).
During the time before the workshop started, I enjoyed the magnificent show together with the participants!
"Wow!" "Amazing!" "I really got to see something great!" everyone seemed very satisfied.
The loud engine sound and the powerful flight were an impressive performance.
Muroya's aerobatic flight, which won the third round of the Red Bull Air Race held in Chiba City in 2016, was wonderful.
I had to capture this wonderful aerobatic flight! I got my camera ready, but even with a compact digital camera equipped with a 24x optical zoom, it was extremely difficult to find and capture the aircraft.
With just a slight movement of my hand, the airplane would disappear from the viewfinder in an instant.
"Nishiyama! Now is the best shot chance!"
As the editor-in-chief Okamoto from Bingo Tocotoco shouted beside me, I held my breath (laughs) and here are the images I captured!
Aerial acrobatics by Yoshihide Muroya taken from the observation deck of Kasaoka City Kojoyama Park
The acrobatics were held twice, in the morning and afternoon.
The photos taken from the Central Community Center were from the afternoon session.
The morning session was held from 10:05 AM to 10:20 AM.
For the morning performance, I asked Mr. Sasaki, who conducted a course on how to take photos for the article at the Takahashi River Basin Writer's School, to take the photos.
The shooting location is the observation deck of Kojoyama Park in Kasaoka City.
Enjoy the contrast of the white smoke against the sky and the details of the aircraft!
Related Event "Out-of-Season Tanabata Event Wish in the Sky"
As a related event to the dream and hope of the white line flight, the out-of-season Tanabata event "Wish in the Sky" was held from November 8 (Monday) to November 12 (Friday), 2021.
Although it is out of season in November, participants wrote their wishes on tanzaku (wish strips) and tied them at five designated locations in Kasaoka City. The Fly Over KASAOKA Executive Committee helped deliver these wishes to the sky.
The tanzaku installation locations were as follows:
- Kasaoka Bay Farm Roadside Station "Information Corner"
- Kasaoka Islands Exchange Center
- Kasaoka Fureai Aozora Market "Shiokaze"
- JR Kasaoka Station
- Kasaoka City Hall 1st Floor Lobby
On the final day, November 12, I visited three of the installation locations.
Tanzaku at Kasaoka Bay Farm Roadside Station "Information Corner"
In spring, it welcomes visitors with rapeseed flowers and poppies, in summer with a million sunflowers, and in autumn with a field of cosmos at Kasaoka Bay Farm Roadside Station.
There were tanzaku at the "Information Corner" of Kasaoka Bay Farm.
![Kasaoka Bay Farm Roadside Station [Spring] - Enjoy the landscape of a yellow carpet of rapeseed flowers from February to April](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/24133845/IMG_3598-485x302.jpg)
Tanzaku at Kasaoka Islands Exchange Center
Terminal for passenger boats to the Kasaoka Islands is the Kasaoka Islands Exchange Center short strip.
The bamboo for tying the tanzaku was located under the stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor.
Tanzaku at Kasaoka Fureai Aozora Market "Shiokaze"
This is the tanzaku at Kasaoka Fureai Aozora Market "Shiokaze", a direct sales store of JA Harenokuni Okayama that sells locally produced vegetables and fruits.
The bamboo with the tanzaku was located to the left of the entrance.
The events on the 13th and 14th ended successfully, and I hope the wishes were safely delivered to the sky.
Event "Fly Over KASAOKA" Making the Most of What We Can Do Now
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the large sky and earth carnival has been held since 2020 with a reduced scale.
In 2021, it started anew as Fly Over KASAOKA with a changed style.
Although events using one of the few agricultural road takeoff and landing sites in Japan could not be held, the white line flight and aerobatic flight were remarkable and simply amazing.
I wanted to see Mr. Muroya's aerobatic flight up close.
In the 2022 fiscal year, I hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will subside and a large-scale event combining land and air will be held at the Fureai Airport.
Fly Over KASAOKA, a gift of dreams and hopes to the citizens of Kasaoka City Information
| Name | Fly Over KASAOKA, a gift of dreams and hopes to the citizens of Kasaoka City |
|---|---|
| Date Held | From November 8, 2021 to November 14, 2021 |
| Location | Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (including tax) | Free |
| Homepage | Fly Over KASAOKA フライ・オーバー・かさおか |
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