CMK10

Great pictures AlwaysAisle, that solari board shot is something else. I also had no idea that PanAm had 727s in NRT (I thought just Germany for overseas operations) so thank you for teaching me something.

kevincrumbs

I'm a big Akina Nakamori fan and sometimes I think about how "Kita Wing" might be the only hit song in the world named after/about a specific part of a specific airport. I don't think there's a PanAm Worldport or Queen's Terminal song floating around out there

Speaking of 80s Japanese idol singers and commercial aviation, there's a Seiko Matsuda appearance on a television show where they show her arriving on a NH 747 where she promptly deplanes, does an interview and then performs on the tarmac. Only in Japan...

jib71

There's this upbeat tune with miserabilist lyrics from Tim Minchin, which focuses on a piano between Security and Gate 23a at an airport with flights to Sydney, in a country which has five dollar bills. He doesn't name the airport **, but I don't think it would take too long for someone on Flyertalk to identify it. My guess is LAX:

** Further reading suggests that the airport is a composite of his experiences. Nonetheless, the detail is compelling.

AlwaysAisle

Japanese pop music idols of '70s and '80s were for sure only in Japan thing, they were different from AKB48 of today. That video of Seiko Matsuda from Haneda is cool, at the beginning of the video can see ANA L1011, L1011 is an awesome plane. To fill the time till the arrival of the flight, the reporter at the ramp gave information about the flight Seiko Matsuda was on, which he got from ANA public relations.

The flight was NH 70 SPK (Sapporo, Chitose)-HND, 747SR registration JA8133. 747SR is short range version of 747-100 which only ANA and JAL purchased from Boeing. That particular 747SR had 500 passenger seats and on that flight 467 passengers were on board. The aircraft was capable of a maximum of 46 t of cargo, and on that particular flight carried 11 t of cargo which consisted of Yubari Melon, tomato, spinach, etc. filled with produce from Hokkaido.

A sad news about Seiko Matsuda, her only child Sayaka Kanda was found dead at a hotel in Sapporo on this past Dec. 18. There were few notes left in a hotel room, and the police is suspecting that she took her own life. Sayaka Kanda was also a singer and she sang the Japanese version of a song "Let It Go" from the Disney movie "Frozen."

TA

I only passed through Narita in the 1980s a few times as a kid on my way with family to Asia, back when you either had to stop in Anchorage or Japan (by the way, do you remember those days).

So I remember the most insignificant things, being a child. The things I most remember:

• The circular terminal / gate area where I thought it was amazing that the window shades knew how to lower themselves by a few inches every few minutes according to the sun
• The fact that each kind of announcement (local gate, airport-wide, etc) had a special coded jingle at the beginning, I remember it being (in musical notes): E-C-E-C for the gate area, E-C-E-A2 for something to do with the entire wing, and A-C-E-A2 for the whole airport

I wonder if those funny little aspects are still around...

CPH-Flyer

The jingles for announcements are currently the same as I remember them from all the time I have been coming to Narita, but I only started visiting Narita from 1996.

I'll try to pay more attention next time to see if I notice a difference in the jingles depending on content.

Pickles

Yes, T1 had (has?) a circular end-terminal and there were elevators to go up to the lounges. Right next to the elevator there was a signboard indicating what was on each floor, and it said, simply, "You Are Here" without any context as to what "here" meant in relation to the rest of the signboard. Reminded me of the Buckaroo Banzai line "wherever you go, there you are."

Also, in the early days of cellphones, I was waiting for the elevator and when it came I got on followed by some white woman yapping on her phone. I told her to get off the elevator. And she did.

AlwaysAisle

Terminal 1 South Wing was completely renovated in early 2000s and no longer has a circular terminal shape. Terminal 1 North Wing still has a circular terminal shape, however Terminal 1 North Wing also was renovated and it is slightly larger (now it is oblong shape rather than symmetrical circular shape) than what you saw back in '80s. Most likley when you went through NRT in '80s for stop/transit, as walked out of the jet bridge passengers came right out to departure gate area. Departure international passengers and arrival/transit international passengers were mixed togather, but with the renovation departure and arrival passengers are now segragated. Upper lounge area of Terminal 1 North Wing was expanded during the renovation also. If I remember correctly, back in early '80s airline lounge was not as common as today. The level above departure gate area on that circular shape gate area was also public area (any passenger could accsess) with some area designed for kids. Also, back in '80s Terminal 1 North and Terminal 1 South were not connected at gate side. Now Terminal 1 North and Terminal 1 South are connected at gate side and passengers can go between freely.


I do not think there are different chime by the gate anymore.

TA

Maybe I'm now misremembering or making up memories, but I actually seem to recall seeing a gate of the style like the below photo, and our family trying to decide whether it was worth going through to see the other parts of the terminal or outside the airport or something like that.

CPH-Flyer

I remember seeing such a contraption at terminal 2 satellite, and from the location, I assumed that it would lead you in to arrivals from departures. You could see it when walking to the Little train to take you in to the main building at the arrivals level.

minizian

I think my flight in 2019 they still have the tall tower as well as banner saying "Down with Narita". The farmland in the middle of Airport still around? I can imagine if they make it as AirBNB or some kind of accommodation for avgeek.

And some of the Riot police truck are still scattered around Narita Airport too.

I watch this person covering some obscure event and somewhat Narita was also of it too.

https://youtu.be/sImK-dm-ZzY

CPH-Flyer

The down with Narita sign, and the tower was still there last time I flew to Narita in 2021. But with some of the expansion plans suggested, I would assume they know how and when they will be able to get their hands on those plots of land still missing in the grander plans....

AlwaysAisle

I am continuing this post for a little more. Now I found old timetables going through stuff at my folks' place.

Northwest Orient timetable March 1972. The Japanese version of the timetable, Showa year 47 (昭和４７年) is 1972. The first commercial flight of 747 was Jan. 22, 1970 PanAm JFK-LHR flight, Northwest Orient was already flying 747 over Pacific.


The route map of Northwest Orient in 1972. Northwest Orient did not fly Atlantic. The U.S. commercial aviation was regulated in 1972. PanAm, Northwest Orient, and TWA were primary international flights. But cannot ignore Northwest Orient domestic flights. The first hijacking in the U.S. was Northwest Orient flight 305 PDX-SEA Boeing 727-100 domestic flight. Northwest Orient had office (assuming ticket office) at Imperial Hotel and Hotel Okura. Wonder if the phone number listed is now Delta Airlines reservation?


The timetable of Pacific operation of Northwest Orient in 1972, The timetable is in Japanese so give a summary:
For young one, 320 is not Airbus A320. Airbus A320 did not exist in 1972. Aircraft 320 is Boeing 707-320. Also this pre Narita, flights were from Haneda airport. I think before Narita Airport, three letter airport code of Haneda Airport was TYO, not HND. Also, this is pre Kansai and Kobe airport. It is possible that Itami airport was OSA, not ITM, but not sure. At least Itami airport was known as Osaka airport. Another point to make, Okinawa was under the U.S. control since the end of WWII and returned to Japan on May 15, 1972. The time this timetable was published, March 1972, TYO-OKA was an international flight, and flying ORD-ANC-TYO-OKA was a domestic flight, but I think U.S. citizens still needed a passport to travel to Okinawa, just like the situation with Guam.

NW 1 / 8 (Boeing 707): TYO-ITM-OKA-TPE
NW 3 / 6 (Boeing 707): IAD-ORD-ANC-TYO-OKA-MNL
NW 7 / 4 (Boeing 747): JFK-ORD-SEA-TYO-HKG
NW 9 / 10 (Boeing 747): SFO-HNL-TYO- SEL/TPE (TYO-SEL by 707)
NW 21 / 22 (Boeing 747): MSP-LAX-HNL-TYO-SEL/TPE (TYO-SEL by 707)
NW 37 / 38 (Boeing 707): TYO-OKA (this was international flight)


Timetable also listed fares. It was listed in US$ only, no fare in Japanese yen was established. 1972 exchange rate between US$ and JPY was fixed rate of US$ 1.00 = 360 JPY. NYC-TYO fare are listed F US$ 800 and Y US$ 489. Looking up3,317 the internet for inflation adjustment, that fare translates to today as F $5,427 and Y $3,317. Refundable NYC-TYO one way fare in economy is listed around $1,700 today. International travel was not for everybody back then.

AlwaysAisle

PanAm February 1972 timetable. We have to talk about PanAm, I know I am old when I say "I still can not believe PanAm is gone." About the same time frame as Northwest Orient timetable I posted above. This is the front cover of PanAm timetable February 1972,


Route map of PanAm Feburuary 1972. Around the World flight, and as can see hardly any U.S. domestic flights. Commercial airlines were regulated in the U.S. in 1979. PanAm used Fairbanks as a refueling stop for Far East, not Anchorage like other airlines did. PanAm served Pago Pago, and was still serving Saigon in February 1972 Also serving several African cities. The U.S. airline serving Beirut and Teheran, PanAm did not serve China (Hong Kong was British territory), different time back then.



PanAm Tokyo (Haneda) schedule in February 1979. I knew Keio Plaza was Inter-Continental Hotel (the first skyscraper in the Shinjuku area opened 1971). Can you imagine only Keio Plaza hotel sticking out in Shinjuku where all other buildings were less than 10 stories high? As a first airline to fly 747 commercially, Haneda had PanAm 747 flying frequently in 1972.

PA 1 / 2 (747) Around the World Flight: LAX-HNL-TYO-HKG-BKK-DEL-KHI/IKA-BEY-IST-FRA-LHR-JFK
PA 800 / 801 (707): JFK-FAI-TYO-ITM-GUM
PA 802 / 803 (747): TYO-GUM
PA 845 / 846 (747): LAX-SFO-TYO-HKG (TYO-HKG by 707)


Fare was listed on the timetable. NYC-TYO was F $811 and Y $516, in today's money it is F $5,409 and Y $3,442. From Pacific Coast Cities, there is K fare to Honolulu for $98, in today's money it is $650 but that was one way. $1,300 for round trip to Honolulu fror Los Angeles,

Pickles

My first trip to Japan was in 1985 on Pan Am. Don't remember the origination city, but we had an engine malfunction that forced the plane to dump all its fuel and make an emergency landing in Anchorage, where we were stuck for a number of hours before continuing on to NRT. My parents were flying in from somewhere else and their arrival was timed to coincide with mine, so we could all take the bus to the hotel. My mom, being who she is, instead of sticking around at the airport to wait for me went to the hotel and left me to fend by myself from NRT to the hotel (Keio Plaza Shinjuku). Of course, there was no way to communicate this back then, so I had to assume that is what happened, which was confirmed by my parents, who concluded I'd figure it all out.

Same as Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, my first trip to Japan was like being hit by a 2x4, especially the first day or so under extreme jetlag, which I had never experienced before.