JAL hosted a charity bazaar inside the terminal at Haneda Airport, aiming to support the economic reconstruction of the disaster areas in Tohoku affected by the major earthquake 4 years ago.

The items on sale were, of course, all aircraft-related. Larger items included passenger seats, sold for 50,000 yen a set, which were extremely popular.

There were also aircraft models; the large ones were 1/50 scale, priced at 100,000 yen, making them collectibles for aviation enthusiasts.

More common items included various calendars, posters, cabin pajamas, tableware, coffee cups, etc. For instance, the large wall calendars were 1.5 meters long and of really good quality.

Seeing that the bazaar items were indeed high quality and low price, naturally, I wouldn’t miss this opportunity. I arrived a bit late at the venue hall; after queuing to enter, I found it was packed with people, Many of the good items had already been snatched up. What a pity.

I won’t post photos of my “spoils,” but here is the list: Two large posters about 1 meter in size; one is an MD-11 cockpit, classified as premium, priced at 1000 yen. Two sets of business class cutlery (knife and fork), 100 yen per set. One set is from 30 years ago; products with the old logo are quite rare. A set of 2015 wall calendar and desk calendar, priced at 300 yen and 100 yen respectively. A special coffee cup set, priced at 500 yen. A piggy bank made from a Mobil aviation oil can, 100 yen.

Walking 20 meters out of the bazaar hall brings you to the terminal observation deck. Since I was there, I took a few photos. However, the weather was slightly rainy and cold, and visibility was poor. I had hoped that if there was standing water on the Runway, I might capture the moment of water spray during landing or when reverse Thrust is deployed. But the Haneda Airport Runway was swept very clean. The photos turned out very plain, so I headed back.

Going down to the 1st floor, I suddenly remembered there is an “Aviation Shrine” here that I haven’t visited yet, so I went to check it out. The Aviation Shrine is located in the middle of Terminal 1, next to the post office, but it is not easy to find. You have to turn into the inner passage from the corridor next to the restrooms by the post office; it’s a very discreet little room.

Inside the shrine, there is just a very simple altar and an information board. It says that to pray for the safety of the aviation industry, the Aviation Shrine has existed since Showa 6 (1931). Later, this branch shrine was built inside Haneda Airport, and a grand festival is held every year on May 20th. The religious beliefs of this country are truly incredible..

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