FUN FRIDAY: Japanese Airport Renames After Popular Anime Character

Tottori Airport in Japan has recently reopened as “Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport”, following a ceremony to mark its renewal opening on March 1, 2015.

The airport is now named after the main character of widely popular manga and anime series “Detective Conan-Case Closed” by Gosho Aoyama.

Tottori prefecture is home to a number of manga artists, and has been utilising the power of manga as a tool of promotion to vitalise the region.

The airport’s new name also promotes the Tottori Sand Dunes which are the most famous sand hills in Japan, known for the size of its heave and plants unique to the junes.

Conan

In a video message played during the ceremony, manga artist Aoyama expressed his excitement about the renewal opening of the airport and said, "I hope many visitors from around the world will visit Tottori Prefecture through the airport and the prefecture will be energized."

The airport has also been decorated with Conan characters and trick art, with 21 spots in the airport’s facilities decorated with drawings and objects featuring characters of the Detective Conan series.

The 18-meter long and 8-meter wide 3D trick art, depicting Conan riding on a camel at the Tottori Sand Dunes, on the ground level floor of an airport building was unveiled during the opening ceremony.

Poppy Marello

Poppy joined the Routesonline team after successfully completing a degree in journalism at Sheffield Hallam University. Poppy has a passion for…