Takikawa Sky Park – Takikawa, Japan - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

Takikawa Sky Park

Takikawa, Japan

Pilots from around the world come to this park to fly gliders. 

View all photos
Gliders in Sky Park. Photo courtesy of Yuji Higuchi (Used with Permission)
Gliders in Sky Park. Photo courtesy of Yuji Higuchi (Used with Permission)
Takikawa Sky Museum mjcolbert16 (Atlas Obscura User)
View of Takikawa from a glider . Soica2001
The view above Sky Park. Photo courtesy of Yuji Higuchi (Used with permission)
A glider over Takikawa. Photo courtesy of Yuji Higuchi (Used with Permission)
Takikawa Sky Museum Photo courtesy of Yuji Higuchi (Used with Permission)
7
55
Top Places in Japan
Every winter, the museum and its many picture windows become encapsulated in romantic and terrifying drifts of snow
Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science
Tokamachi, Japan
Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Chikei (Yonaguni Monument)
Yonaguni, Japan
The Puchicalator
Kawasaki, Japan
 See All

At this park, planes fly without engines—well most of them. 

The Sky park was founded in Takikawa in 1989 by the Skyport Association of Takikawa (SATA). The group has been a key contributor in local efforts to revitalize the economy and draw tourism to the city. Pilots travel from all over the world to learn and fly here. 

The park is open to the public, complete with a running path that is a favorite among joggers and dog-walkers. The Sky Museum serves as SATA’s headquarters, and visitors can peek inside the hangar for a glimpse at vintage gliders and planes. In 2018, the city hosted the World Air Sports Federation’s championship, welcoming visitors from all over to fly remote-controlled planes at the park.

SATA promotes various aerial sports, such as skydiving and hot air ballooning, Glider pilots launching from the park can travel for miles, passing over the city’s canola fields or the marshes of Uryu. Visitors can also enjoy a 10-minute flight for 7,500 yen. 

Atlas Obscura Trips

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.
Book Now
tourism aircraft parks
Community Contributors
mjcolbert16
Added by
mjcolbert16
Published
September 8, 2020
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
'The Next Step'
8.98 miles
Canadian World
17.21 miles
Kamuy Kotan
19.86 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
This can be under 10 meters of snow in the winter.
Shintotsukawa, Japan

'The Next Step'

A museum in Hokkaido is housed in a former high school. On its grounds a marker shares the awakening of a man who longs to be reunited with his soulmate in the fictional world of Kcymaerxthaere.
The "Green Gables" at Canadian World.
Ashibetsu, Japan

Canadian World

A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.
Kamuy Kotan
Asahikawa, Japan

Kamuy Kotan

A natural wonder with mythological ties to the local Ainu tradition.
Blue Pond
Hokkaidō, Japan

Blue Pond

This mesmerizingly colorful pond looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale.
Related Places
Orlando, Florida

Colonel Joe Kittinger Park

Get up close to an F-4 Phantom flown in the Vietnam War at this Florida park.
Queens, New York

LaGuardia Landing Lights Park

Nine nice parcels of land along a flight path offer a quiet respite... until a plane soars overhead.
Connie's Photo Park.
Madrid, New Mexico

Connie's Photo Park

A little slice of Florida face-in-a-hole kitsch, unexpectedly located in a small New Mexico town.
Gravelly Point Park
Arlington, Virginia

Gravelly Point Park

This lovely picnic spot featuring thunderous jet landings is an aircraft spotter’s dream.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web