Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum

[Nikogori]

I have visited Kakamigahara Air and Space museum in Gifu, Japan.



Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien



Mitsubishi T-2 (Blue Impulse)



Asuka Quiet STOL research aircraft



ShinMeiwa UF-XS



F-4 EJ Kai Phantom II



LE-7 Engine



Mockup of H-II Rocket Fairing

Edit: These fairings were built for test purpose but never used for real spaceflight.



Mockup of Kibo ISS Module





Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum is located near JASDF Gifu Air Field. You can see T-4s or F-15s flying over the museum if you're lucky.
It takes an hour to Kakamigahara museum from JR Gifu station.

 

[Piorun]

すごい飛行機ですね。 All of them look like directly from the factory - all are very well cared for. Approximately how many planes are in the museum? How long does it take to see all the exhibits? Are there any other spaceflight exhibits?

F-4 EJ Kai Phantom II

This F-4 reminded me of the Phantom (or more accurately, the F-4E), which had served in the USAF, and which I saw last year at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków - under one roof with the Polish MiG-19PM, the Italian F-104S Starfighter, the Canadian CH-136 Kiowa and the Swiss Alouette III. The definite ruler of the hangar, however, was the Phantom - it's a really big plane, much bigger than it appears in photos:

 

[Nikogori]

Approximately how many planes are in the museum? How long does it take to see all the exhibits? Are there any other spaceflight exhibits?

Museum Floor Map

I believe you can see all the airplanes within an hour if you choose to ignore simulators and movies.
I spent almost 6 hours (including lunch time at museum cafe) at the museum.

"Aerospace soda" and Hida beef curry.



Simulators are made for kids and very small. I'm not a tall guy (170 cm) but sim displays are well below my eye level.
There are no English subtitles for movies.



"Spaceflight area" is much smaller than other areas. There are also several satellites and space probes.





...and space toilet.

The definite ruler of the hangar, however, was the Phantom - it's a really big plane, much bigger than it appears in photos

F-4 Phantom II is my favorite jet fighter. One of the main reasons of this visit was to see the last of the Japanese Phantom, No. 431.



It seems oil is still dripping from fuselage...

 

[Piorun]

Thanks for the comprehensive answers, definitely if I ever visit Japan, I will have to visit this particular museum sometime! Especially, for the Phantom II, and for the Hien

"Spaceflight area" is much smaller than other areas. There are also several satellites and space probes.

The vast majority of countries in the world don't have a space portfolio like Japan's anyway, therefore it's quite a valuable collection. It's still much more than the single, life-size Sputnik 1 replica that's in the planetarium in my city:

F-4 Phantom II is my favorite jet fighter. One of the main reasons of this visit was to see the last of the Japanese Phantom, No. 431.

I understand, that this has to be the most special of all of Japanese Phantoms, because it was the last aircraft released from service, if I'm correct. As for me, the main reason was to see the famous "MiG Valley", simply because I wasn't aware of the fact that they have a Phantom II there. Therefore, it was the greatest surprise to see the F-4 after I stepped into that hangar, one of numerous. There are also other iconic jets, e.g. F-5 Tiger II, A-7 Corsair II, Harrier, F-105 Thunderchief, Viggen, Mirage etc., but none of them impressed me just like the F-4 did. The previous time, when the Phantom II surprised me happened when I saw Japanese F-4s appearing in the anime series "Gate" - in a similarly sudden way!

It seems oil is still dripping from fuselage...

It's a sign that it's still a fresh exhibit! In the museum, I saw the same phenomenon only under some 1930s piston powered aircraft, however their engines still have been fired up from time to time - like in the case of this PWS-26 trainer, a veteran of the Defensive War of 1939:

 

[Nikogori]

Thank you for sharing these MiG photos. There are many MiG fans in Japan but we have to go to as far as Taiwan to see them.

Now I understand Polish Aviation Museum is huge! I always liked Poland because of Science Fiction (My mother gave me juvenile edition of "Ijon Tichy" series) and videogames. I hope to visit your country someday.

 

[Piorun]

There are many MiG fans in Japan but we have to go to as far as Taiwan to see them.

Once upon a time, there was a MiG-25 in Hakodate but it was a brief, unique situation...

Stanisław Lem's novels... My Japanese teacher was really right when he said that Lem's books are popular in Japan. I have a bookshelf exclusively reserved for Lem's books, including "His Master's Voice" (Głos Pana / 天の声), "The High Castle" (Wysoki Zamek / 高い城) and "Solaris" (ソラリス). On the other hand, Sensei recommended to me works of Shin'ichi Hoshi, whose Polish edition (selected short stories) I've discovered only recently - ある日、私は星さんの小説が日本語で上手に読めるといいんですが。

I hope to visit your country someday.

よろしくお願いします。