New Kobe Airport thronged with sightseers

Going Nowhere Fast
Airports are used to tourists. But, the new Kobe Airport in Western Japan is just ten minutes from the city and offers outstanding views. It is getting tourists of a different kind: those who never take a plane.

Dubbed "Marine Air" as it is built on reclaimed land with a view of the ocean, Kobe is the second major new airport to open in Japan in as many years. Already, it has become something of a hotspot. In fact, in the 10 days following its Feb. 16 opening, a total of 215,000 people visited. There were 31,000 people on opening day.
In typical Japanese fashion, they have been coming by the busload to relax, check out the viewing deck and generally treat the airport like a leisure facility.

Worried the crowds could cause an accident, airport management boarded up part of the stairs on the lookout area and removed some chairs from the lobby to ease bottlenecking. The changes, said an airport source, "don't fit with the airport's stylishness, but safety is our first priority."

Going to the chapel...
Freeloading sightseers may be a nuisance; but Kobe International does want visitors. The airport is being touted as a good place to get married. They are currently seeking couples to hold their wedding ceremony on the rooftop of the terminal building. Will they provide ear plugs?

Weddings are big business here. The response is bound to be good, which is lucky because the city of Kobe went into deep debt to build this airport cum wedding hall.

Kobe is already the most indebted municipality in Japan with debts of over ¥3 trillion, and this project's cost (estimated at over ¥1 trillion, or US $8.7 billion) has made it very controversial. A citizen group gathered over 300,000 signatures (in a city of 1.5 million) in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the project. Kobe has been rebuilt since the 1995 earthquake; but, its economy has struggled to recover fully. JPN’s 10-year economic slump hasn't helped.

Going to the bank...
Last week, Kobe city announced its financial outlook for the airport. It projects that, during the 10-year period from 2006 to 2015, the airport will be able to operate in the black. But, it will be 2040, before the redemption of up to about 27 billion yen in municipal bonds will be completed.
The airport will face stiff competition from Osaka International Airport (16mi away) and the larger Kansai International Airport (14mi away), which by-the-way is suffering from overcapacity and hemorrhaging money.

Japan Railway is already fighting back. It was plans to add another three Shinkansen (bullet trains) between Tokyo and Kobe from March 18 to stay competitive. "If you compare a door-to-door travel time, maybe our train is more convenient than taking jet planes. We are confident we will not lose our customers," said Central Japan Railway spokesman Daisuke Sawada.

Stay tuned.