Jun 01 (soranews24.com) - A common situation when visiting or living in other countries is having to talk about where you come from. Unless you happen to be from one of the handful of major metropolises in the world, chances are people abroad will never have heard of your particular hometown.
One way around this is to simply lie, claim you come from the most nearby urban center, and hope for no follow-up questions. Admittedly that’s not an ideal solution and can backfire in a number of ways, but it’s nevertheless exactly the marketing tactic being considered by Ibaraki Airport.
On 28 May, it was announced that the facility in Omitama City, Ibaraki Prefecture may be given the nickname “Tokyo Ibaraki Airport†if approved by the governor of Ibaraki. This might not sound strange until you realize the airport is not in Tokyo at all.
Anyone landing in Tokyo Ibaraki Airport ought to expect an over two-hour journey before reaching Tokyo Station. Relatively speaking, that is somewhat convenient access to Tokyo and since this airport specializes in low-cost flights, it’s probably worth considering. Still, disappointment likely lies in store for anyone landing there under the impression that they’d be arriving right in the heart of Tokyo.
Originally a military air base, its runways were expanded to accommodate civilian flights in 2010. Many questioned the move, considering it would be in direct competition with the likes of Narita and Haneda, both highly regarded airports at home and abroad. Now, it is hoped that by adding “Tokyo†to the name, Ibaraki Airport’s brand awareness will be raised outside of Japan, allowing them to compete with those heavyweights.
