Tokyo’s Miura Peninsula: A Helicopter Flight Experience (Tokyo AirX)
A flight experience in Japan
Nearly every child dreams of riding the wind and soaring through the sky. Whenever I fly, I always choose a window seat, gazing at the tiny cities below and the shifting clouds, feeling like a bird gliding through the air.
Japan’s cities are orderly and refined, blending with the natural environment and possessing unique landscape characteristics. This time, I finally had the chance to visit Japan’s Miura Peninsula and experience a seaside helicopter flight.
The Miura Peninsula is located in Kanto, south of Yokohama Port in the Kanto region. I visited in mid-February, when Tokyo still felt chilly and wintry, but on the Miura Peninsula the weather was already warm, and cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom. I heard that the early-blooming cherry blossoms in Kawazu Town, further south, were already in full bloom—it must have been spectacular.
That morning, I departed from Ueno, took the JR Ueno-Tokyo Line for 35 minutes to Yokohama Station, then transferred to the Keikyu Main Line Limited Express for 50 minutes, arriving at Misakiguchi Station, the terminal, at 9 a.m. As I exited the station, a cute double-decker sightseeing bus from the hotel was waiting for us in the parking lot—very eye-catching. Beside the parking lot were two rows of cherry trees, with pink blossoms blooming profusely.
Listening to the commentary, we arrived at the "Kanshosou" hotel in five minutes, which served as the rest center for the helicopter experience. Today’s itinerary included four activities: an aquarium visit, a hot spring bath, lunch, and the helicopter experience. Since the scheduled takeoff time was around 2 p.m., we had free time to enjoy the other activities beforehand.
The Sagami Bay area, where the Miura Peninsula is located, is the birthplace of marine biology research in Japan. A wide variety of marine life inhabits these waters. Therefore, the exhibits at the Keikyu Aburatsubo Aquarium are also centered around marine research, introducing all kinds of marine species. There was even an outdoor exhibit with emperor penguins and otters. I felt that anyone in the Kanto region interested in marine life should not miss it.
【Lunch & Hot Spring】
For lunch, we had the famous fish sashimi and fish croquettes from Misaki Port. Fresh fish from the sea is naturally the most delicious, and simple preparation makes it extraordinarily tasty. The Kanshosou Hotel also has a hot spring. I initially thought it was just an ordinary hot spring facility common to Japanese hotels. But I was pleasantly surprised when I entered. The outdoor hot spring faced directly toward Sagami Bay. Lying in the hot water, in front of me were several blooming cherry trees; pink petals occasionally drifted into the pool, swaying up and down with the ripples. Beyond that, the blue sea stretched out, with a few seabirds and eagles circling above. The weather was just right, and I could faintly see distant islands, white ships, and the harbor. I even wished time could stop at that moment, allowing me to keep enjoying the beautiful scenery before me, over and over again.
At 2 p.m., we gathered at the helipad. We were divided into groups of three for the helicopter ride. The helipad was actually a huge backup parking lot. We stood at the edge as the helicopter slowly flew into the area from a distance. Even though it wasn’t very close, we could still hear its loud roar.
I used to think that flying in a helicopter would be bumpy and shaky. In fact, the helicopter ride was very smooth—not like riding in an airliner, but more like driving a car, stable and steady. Accompanied by the roar of the rotors, we were lifted horizontally and soon hovered above the sea.
Because it was a sightseeing helicopter, the cabin had large windows. Through the window, I could see waves crashing against the coast below, houses turning into tiny sandbox models, and roads like arteries stretching through cities and hills into the distance. We usually walk through such cities every day, feeling that those buildings and mountains are huge—so large they transcend human scale and move us. But when seen from above, they all appear so small; on the vast surface of the Earth, they are just tiny spots, and as for us, we are so tiny that we become invisible.
It had rained that morning, and there was still a thin mist in the distance. The pilot told us that we could see Mount Fuji in the distance. We looked up, and sure enough, the outline of Mount Fuji appeared faintly, rising above the land at the end of the sea—a truly unique sight. The helicopter was actually quite fast. Before long, we had circled the Miura Peninsula, taking in the coastline, islands, harbors full of ships, the delicate city, and the lush green hills. The Japanese seniors and ladies next to me couldn’t help exclaiming, "It's so beautiful!" "This feels amazing!" Every second, we kept our eyes wide open, looking all around, but there was too much scenery to take in.
I think we have never stopped exploring the sky, building enormous flying machines. Yet when we fly high above and look down, we realize how insignificant we are. On the vast Earth, each of us is like a grain of dust, and everything else seems less important. Since we are so tiny, perhaps the only thing that truly matters is the experience itself. Let us break free from the trivialities of daily life and examine our surroundings from a different perspective—I believe this is an experience everyone needs to have.
