Aichi Museum of Flight

Jul 19, 2022

Aichi Museum of Flight

Aichi Prefecture is, of course, famed for its manufacturing. The area has a long and illustrious history of being the center of Japan’s engineering industry, particularly in the automotive sector, but did you know that the prefecture is responsible for more than 50 percent of all aeronautical parts produced in the country?

The Aichi Museum of Flight in Toyoyama, just a 25-minute shuttle bus ride from Nagoya Station, is celebrating this contribution and Japan’s historical fascination with all things that go up-tiddly-up-up. With exhibitions set to send kids wild with excitement, enthrall aeronautics fanatics, and entertain just about anyone looking for something a bit different to do, the museum is fun for all the family and more.

Flights of Fancy

The Aichi Museum of Flight is a must-see for anyone interested in the history of flight. In a large hangar, the museum houses many aircraft, including a NAMC YS-11, a turboprop airliner used by the Japan Self-Defense Force in the early 1960s, a twin jet Hawker 400, and an MH2000 utility helicopter. However, for real history buffs, the biggest draw will be the full-scale model of a Zero Fighter, the aircraft used by the Japanese Air Force during The Pacific War.

In addition, there is a 3-D cinema displaying the history of flight in Aichi, a model display of 100 famous airplanes that have made a name for themselves in the history of Japanese aircraft, and a four-meter model of Da Vinci’s helicopter. If that is not enough, you can make your way up to the observation deck, where you can like back in a hammock and watch the planes take off from Nagoya City Airport, just 300 meters away.

Exciting and educational

Do your kids have aeronautical ambitions? Do they want to discover a career in flight? Well, the Aichi Museum of Flight has many experiences to explore. For all ages, there is a science lab with lessons about air travel and a flight simulator, in which you can guide a plane down to the ground.

First graders and above can take things even further by discovering the full Pilot Experience, which includes the simulator and plotting flight plans, learning how wind pressure and weather affect paths, and inspecting the planes. For those with an engineering side, the Mechanic Experience will excite. After checking the ins and outs of a helicopter, your kids will learn how it all works before going to the ‘shop floor, where they will don their tool belts and operate power tools to put together parts of machinery. It’s a hands-on experience to spark the imagination!

All this hands-on experience is intended to breed excitement in engineering fans of all ages. It is particularly likely to thrill younger minds and perhaps foster in them a desire to become the designers of the next aeronautic sensation.

Aichi Museum of Flight Details

Where: Hayashizaki-1 Toyoba, Toyoyama, Nishikasugai District (map)

Website: aichi-mof.com

Admission: Adults 1,000 JPY, high school and university students 800 JPY, junior high and elementary school students 500 JPY

Special admission until March 31, 2023: Adults 800 JPY, high school and university students 640 JPY, junior high and elementary school students 400 JPY

If you like this…

There are a few other manufacturing museums in Aichi, but the best known are the three for Toyota.

The Toyota Plant and Museum Tour takes you around the inner workings of the famous automaker’s hometown plant.

In Noritake, you can find the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, which takes you back through Toyota’s history as a textile manufacturer.

Finally, for auto-aficionados who like their machines with a few miles on the clock, the Toyota Automobile Museum has a range of cars from the entire history of automotive travel.

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Images via https://aichi-mof.com/about.html (modified)