Kawaguchiko Aviation Hall Gallery

[Vagabond]

Hi All,

I am very fortunate to be working in Tokyo for an extended period and am planning on visiting as many air museums/military museums and historical sites as I can while I am here. Mrs VB and I got things rolling with a trip to Kawaguchiko Aviation Hall (aka The Harada Collection and Zero Fighter Museum) roughly 70 miles/120km out from Tokyo - near Mt Fuji. WOW!!! Awesome collection of aircraft, artifacts, engines and fun aviation items. The museum allows ONLY cell phone photography! Fortunately, I upgraded to a new phone with a much, much better camera before leaving the USA - especially for this museum. If you enjoy the photos of our adventures in Japan, we'd welcome contributions to pay off the dang phone lease - LOL

While at the museum, I photographed practically everything we saw - Enjoy the fruits of our visit!

https://www.vgbimages.com/AirMuseums/Ka ... k/n-wFdB48

[Jerry O'Neill]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing!!

[Chris Brame]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Paul! The Betty is looking great!

[mike furline]

Nice pics. Is that Baka actually 1081?

[Pogo]

WOW ... thanks so much for posting!

[Zac Yates]

Fantastic photos, thank you so much for sharing! This is the best photospread of the museum I've seen, and it's great to see so many airframes I've read about in magazines all together.

[OD/NG]

Wow, fantastic pictures, Vagabond! Those are the best I've seen on the internet of that collection. Thank you for sharing them with us!

A few questions:

1) Did you get any info or updates on the current status of the Betty restoration? Even though the fuselage is more or less complete, Harada-san has stated that he would be building a new set of wings from scratch for the airframe to make it complete. I haven't been able to confirm anywhere whether that has started or not. Any info on that?

2) Regarding the partial, unskinned Zero airframe. Is that a display that will be intentionally left that way, or is it a restoration in progress that will eventually be skinned?

3) Any info on any new projects or restorations "behind the scenes" that Harada-san has planned or is working on?

Excellent museum, excellent pictures and one of the most underappreciated, mostly unknown (in the West) collection of Japanese aircraft and artifacts in the world. Wow, what I wouldn't give to see a complete restored Rufe someday. If anybody can do it though, Harada-san is the one to make it happen!

Thanks!

[old iron]

OD / NG wrote:

Even though the fuselage is more or less complete,

I believe that only the back half of that fuselage is original. The front half is reproduction. The original port is shown in red in the placard.

[OD/NG]

OD / NG wrote:

Even though the fuselage is more or less complete,

I believe that only the back half of that fuselage is original. The front half is reproduction. The original port is shown in red in the placard.

True statement. When I mentioned "complete", I was referring to finished for "display condition", not level of authenticity or containing original components.

[Vagabond]

Hi Gang!

Thanks for the lovely comments and enthusiastic support! It's always fun to contribute to the Warbird community!

OD/NG - Sorry, I have NO information beyond what you can see in the photos! Our Japanese is rudimentary at best and no one on staff spoke English. Mrs VB was lucky to find out that L was the biggest T-Shirt size so any museum or project info is far beyond our capabilities - sorry!

2 more museums scheduled for tomorrow's day off - I'll get them processed and posted as soon as I can.

Cheers All,
PH

[airnutz]

Nice tour, thanks Vagabond!

[old iron]

2 more museums scheduled for tomorrow's day off - I'll get them processed and posted as soon as I can.

Be sure to visit and send pictures of the Kawanishi "Emily"

[sandiego89]

Wow, wow, wow.

Great stuff thanks for posting! A real shame that most Japanese types are underrepresented and underappreciated in the warbird world. I take my time at Chino and Udvar Hazy to see some of the sole survivors, and am really looking forward to the Tony that Jerry Yagen is having restored.

The Betty looks fantastic.

Going to see the Emily?

[bdk]

Excellent museum, excellent pictures and one of the most underappreciated, mostly unknown (in the West) collection of Japanese aircraft and artifacts in the world.

No question the collection is a wonderful testament to the founders enthusiasm. He's doing great things!

I think that early Asian aviation is very underrepresented. Partly due to political sentiment I'm sure, but Asia has a rich history. China was also an early adopter of aviation that not many people, including those in China, are aware of.

[Scott Rose]

Those are great! I envy you, going to Japan is on my bucket list.

Mind if I pull some of the pics for the registry?