It was quite a few years ago that I photographed the ANA Star Wars livery Jet 4, C3PO, but I never had the opportunity to fly on it. This time, taking advantage of a trip from Osaka back to Tokyo, I made a point to book the C3PO flight, fulfilling a wish of many years.

Before boarding, naturally, I first checked out the view from the observation deck at Osaka Itami Airport. I didn’t bring my DSLR camera; being able to capture such results with just a small Sony Cyber-shot isn’t bad at all.

After watching JA743A arrive at the Jet Bridge from the observation deck, I proceeded to check in. Once inside the terminal, I took a few more photos of it through the glass.

Boarding commenced. The interior decoration looks like this: Looking from the back to the front, you can’t really tell the difference from a regular aircraft.

The aircraft pushed back, and right in front of us was the Osaka International Tower.

Taxiing past the entrance to Runway 32R.

Colorful cloud flying.

Takeoff.

Osaka Bay.

Magical light. Speaking of which, make sure not to sleep on the plane; the scenery during the last hour of the journey is often the most stunning. In the bottom right corner of the photo is the Osaka Castle Main Tower, one of the most famous attractions in Osaka city.

Finally, some souvenirs from the flight: A boarding commemorative card, a postcard, and a C3PO livery cup.

Rumor has it that next year, ANA’s four Star Wars liveried aircraft will be repainted in standard livery. If you haven’t flown on one yet, you’d better hurry up.