JAL has unveiled new exhibits at the “JAL SKY MUSEUM” (3-5-1 Haneda Airport, Ota Ward, Tokyo), which will be open to the public starting August 1.
The JAL SKY MUSEUM is a museum where visitors can learn about aviation careers and history and experience aircraft up close. In addition to visually showcasing the airline’s history from its founding through displays of historic uniforms, archival materials, and model airplanes, the museum features a cockpit mock-up, a uniform try-on zone, and a museum shop, making it a popular destination not only for aviation enthusiasts but also for families with children.
Admission is 1,000 yen for junior high school students and older; children are admitted free. Since the JAL SKY MUSEUM is located within the JAL Maintenance Center 1, there is a hangar right next door. The standard tour lasts 130 minutes total—80 minutes in the museum and 50 minutes in the hangar—but optional tours are also available, such as the Business Class In-Flight Meal Experience and a tour of the Douglas DC-8-32 (FUJI) partially preserved in the hangar (8,000 yen per person).
The highlight of the new content starting in August is the launch of a permanent exhibition of the immersive theater “Sora Cruise,” which was featured at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. The theater room is built to a scale of about 6/10 of the Expo version, and the video has been condensed to about three and a half minutes of flight footage. Although the scale has been reduced—with visitors now seated to view the show (about nine people per session)—the visuals wrapping around three walls and the seat vibrations (haptic feedback) deliver an immersive experience every bit as compelling as the one at the Expo. It can be said that the switch to a seated format allows visitors to experience an even stronger “sense of riding in a flying car.”
In the archive zone, which houses a collection of historical uniforms and documents, the exhibition has shifted to a themed display focusing on the 1960s—the era that saw the liberalization of overseas travel (1964) and the introduction of JAL’s first jet airliner, the Douglas DC-8. On display are actual paper manuals and logbooks that were used at the time, in-flight meal menus, brochures distributed to passengers, instruments, and memorabilia are displayed in chronological order.
Among the more unusual items on display was the “Date Line Crossing Certificate,” which used to be handed out along with an announcement when crossing the International Date Line. Although the theme of this exhibition is the 1960s, the museum plans to rotate the displayed historical materials on a regular basis going forward.
Visitors to the museum can also try out “JAL VIRTUAL FIT,” a virtual try-on system for JAL uniforms. Currently, a limited-time pilot program is underway from July 10 to August 31. When you stand in front of a large display, the system allows you to virtually try on the uniform of your choice on the screen; the uniform moves in sync with your movements and remains natural even when you turn around. It reportedly realistically reproduces details such as the wrinkles that form in the fabric when you raise your arms and the way the hem flares out.
The uniforms available for try-on include the 5th- and 6th-generation flight attendant uniforms, as well as the current uniforms for flight crew and maintenance technicians. By scanning the QR code displayed after the experience, you can download photos and videos of yourself trying on the uniforms to your smartphone.
Only a single camera is used to film the person trying on the uniform, and it does not involve complex filming from various angles. According to the staff member in charge, a highly detailed 3D model of the uniform has been created, and by analyzing the wearer’s movements with the camera, the system enables a highly realistic virtual try-on experience in real time. Since I had the chance, I tried on the flight attendant uniform myself, but the result was not exactly presentable, so I won’t be posting any photos.
© Source travel watch