Visited on: May 3, 2025 (Constitution Memorial Day)
🛫 Itami Sky Park — where family moments quietly unfold
Itami Airport sits right beside the city, and on its western side stretches Itami Sky Park, an observation area enjoyed by children and adults alike.
A spacious, well-maintained park with parking areas, playgrounds, and food stalls.
On weekends especially, the air is filled with a gentle warmth as families relax on the grass and watch the planes pass by.
What’s even more impressive is the scale —
a long, narrow park stretching for nearly one kilometer along the runway.
The farther you walk, the more the planes’ height and angle change,
creating the strange feeling that you’re traveling right alongside them.
As you head toward the south end, arriving aircraft begin to approach straight toward you.
Just as a plane skimmed overhead and I raised my camera in excitement—
“Excuse me, please don’t step in there.”
A staff member’s calm voice snapped me back.
It seemed I had drifted a little into the vehicle lane,
and I couldn’t help but laugh as I hurriedly stepped back.
Travelers sometimes get so absorbed that they lose their sense of place.
☕ Discovering the vending-machine café “Light Meal 24”
As I left Sky Park and walked along the airport facilities,
I came across an unmanned vending-machine café called “Light Meal 24.”
Rows of vending machines, free Wi-Fi, and—surprisingly—a set of separate restrooms for men and women.
I couldn’t help but smile, wondering, “Is all this really unmanned?”
It gave me an unexpected sense of comfort.
I had planned to just walk past, but ended up taking a short break there.
It’s these unexpected encounters that make a walking journey so rewarding.
✈️ To the Thrilling Spot — Planes Skimming Just Overhead
I started walking again and, after my usual bout of getting lost for about thirty minutes, finally arrived.
Here, planes pass just overhead as they come in for landing.
I’d been here before by car, but no matter how many times I visit, the power is overwhelming.
The engine noise rolls in like ground vibration,
and the glowing aircraft fills your entire field of vision before rushing past in an instant.
In that moment, more than any photo or video could ever capture,
it was the wind and the sheer closeness that created a truly felt landscape.
The moment the evening lights come on here is incredibly romantic.
As the runway illumination switches on all at once,
two lines of guiding lights stretch quietly across the dusky twilight.
A soft, collective “wow…” ripples through the people around me.
The last time I visited, the lights came on exactly at 7 p.m.
Remembering that scene, I glanced at my watch and realized I still had some time.
So I thought, “Since I’m here, I should grab something to eat,”
and set off once again, wandering the roads around the airport in search of dinner.
🍢 A Little Detour for Dinner: “Yamadori”
I wandered around, but the area was lined with small factories and I couldn’t find any restaurants.
Eventually, I spotted a charcoal-grilled yakitori place.
Drawn in almost instinctively, I stepped into
“Yamadori,” a cozy charcoal-grill restaurant.
Inside, the laughter of regular customers mixed with the scent of charcoal,
creating a warmth that felt different from a typical tourist meal —
a small taste of everyday life.
Here, I’ll refrain from going into detailed tasting notes.
I’ll simply remember it as a dish that gently brought balance back to my journey.
(For the flavors themselves, please see the separate article in Beauty & Taste.)
Related article 👇
🍵 Beauty & Taste (Hyogo)– Itami ②/②– Charcoal Grilled Local Chicken & Fluffy Yam Gratin
🌉 Chasing the Moment the Lights Come On
After finishing my meal, I hurried back,
only to find that the lights had already come on.
That small frustration of missing the moment lingered in my chest, carried away softly by the night breeze.
Missing it only makes me want to see it again.
The joy of travel lies in the space it leaves for what comes next.
I walked toward the airport terminal, feeling the night breeze against my skin.
There was a calmness completely different from the heat of the daytime.
From the terminal, I took the monorail and then the train home,
a quiet sense of fulfillment settling gently into my tired feet.
I walked a lot today. It was a day gently guided by coincidence.
Click here for more articles from the Itami series 👇
🚉 Stopover Journey (Hyogo) – Itami ① /② A Journey into Art and Japanese Sake Culture
🍵Beauty & Taste (Hyogo)–Itami ① /② Shirayuki Brewery – A Cozy Avocado Bowl Lunch
✈️ A small airport worth flying from.
Explore Kobe Airport, a cozy gateway with memorable food and scenery.
👉 Read the article here.
🇯🇵YUMEVOJA Cultural Experiences｜Kobe Airport Opens International Flights – A New Gateway to Visit Kansai
This map shows the walking route I followed in Itami.
The places I visited are numbered in order.
Click on each pin to see more details about the spot.
Osaka International Airport is not actually in Osaka but in Hyogo Prefecture.
Despite its name, it currently operates domestic flights only.
Today’s bonus capsule!
✨ Gateway to the Showa Era
— When Ordinary People Began to Dream of the Skies, and the Jumbo Jet Became a Symbol
The Showa era (1926–1989) was a time when modern technology and ideas began to transform everyday life in Japan.
✈️ ① When Overseas Travel Felt Like a Distant Dream
In the latter half of the Shōwa era, the spread of commercial aviation finally made international trips possible for ordinary people.
Travel was still something special — filled with admiration and longing.
Hawaii and Europe felt like “worlds beyond the horizon,” and simply boarding an airplane was a memorable event in itself.
👨👩👧👦 ② Airports Were a Stage for Families
Back then, airports weren’t just for travelers.
Entire families went together to send someone off.
On the observation deck, waving a white handkerchief became a small yet heartfelt ritual of farewell.
The moment of “flying into the world” was shared, deeply imprinted in the family’s memory.
🛫 ③ The Jumbo Jet Was the Heart of Japanese Travel Culture
The symbol of overseas travel in Shōwa Japan was the Jumbo Jet (Boeing 747).
Just seeing its two-story silhouette at the airport felt like a door to the world had opened.
Japan was also unique in the world for using Jumbo Jets even on domestic routes, creating skies where enormous aircraft flew daily — a sight truly one of a kind.
Hawaii trips = Jumbo
Family trips = Jumbo
Looking up at the Jumbo from the airport deck.
These scenes remain iconic memories of Japan’s travel culture.
👧✈️ 📌 Personal Memory — Dreams Born at Itami Airport
When I was a child, my whole family went to Itami Airport to send my aunt off to the United States.
Watching someone close to me “leave for another world” felt like witnessing a story unfold in real life.
What impressed me most were not the airplanes, but the flight attendants.
Their uniforms, posture, and confidence seemed so refined —
almost like heroes of the sky.
For many years afterward, I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant myself.
Perhaps my current passion for multilingual storytelling is rooted in those early feelings:
a longing to connect with the world beyond the horizon.
🌏 ④ From Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventures to Everyday Travel — Yet the “Shōwa Sky” Still Shines
Today, international travel is easier, cheaper, and more casual than ever.
Yet, the feeling from the Shōwa days remains special —
simply arriving at the airport made hearts race,
and just seeing a Jumbo Jet made the world feel bigger.
“Travel is a celebration in life.”
This Shōwa belief quietly lives on in our journeys today.
✈️💬 Optional Short Caption for SNS
In the Shōwa era, airports held dreams.
Today, those dreams become languages.