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A pilot boards a fighter jet with his beloved Jazzmaster in hand. A mechanic making serious in-flight adjustments. A ground staff member watches on. Beautiful. The warriors responding to the pilot's enthusiasm and their energy. |
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Rattle rattle rattle," said a music store whose shutters were still closing at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon.
Fifteen minutes later, several men carrying bags start walking toward Shin-Okubo Station.
Their destination was...
Haneda!
Haneda Airport!
Yes, we were headed to the airport to go to Okinawa for employee training.
Why we were going to Okinawa and what the training was about will be explained later, but we arrived at the airport via Hamamatsucho while thinking about how refreshing it was to be doing something so different from our usual pattern.
We completed our formalities and headed for the gate. Excited to be flying for the first time in a long time, we relaxed in the anxiously empty cabin, and then Japan Airlines Flight 1931 took off.
The flight went smoothly and we arrived at Naha Airport about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and we rented a car and headed for our hotel.
It was about 7:00 pm. After checking in and putting down our luggage, we gathered in the lobby and went to the hotel entrance to look for a cab. I told the driver where I was going, but he arrived at a completely different place.... Trouble struck right away. Luckily, we knew another driver, so we arrived safely, but it seems we were baptized in Okinawa early.
We arrived at a certain local izakaya and rushed into the restaurant, suppressing our eagerness to go in. Of course, we were there to learn the "secrets of customer service. The training had already started, and we were nervous.
Beer for now!♪」
A voice that shows no sign of fatigue reverberates through the restaurant.
We were hungry, and the manager, an elderly lady, responded to our miscellaneous orders like jabs in a lighthearted manner.
We left the restaurant with a big smile on our faces and a smack on our ballooning stomachs, having enjoyed the Okinawan cuisine, or rather, having learned the art of brilliant customer service.
Our rigorous training was over.
When the skin of the stomach is stretched, the skin of the eyelids is loosened. Needless to say, we went straight back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow.
We checked out of the hotel at 9:00 the next morning and headed north by car. On the way, we stopped at a famous fast food restaurant in Okinawa, had a heavy breakfast of hamburgers, onion rings, root beer, etc., and returned to the car.
And as mornings are not our forte, the harmony of warm sunlight and pleasant vibrations naturally made us sleepy.
Of course, none of us slept in the car...
We arrived at the shooting location two hours later.
In fact, we had come all the way here to shoot an ad for Premium Selections.
The location was a beautiful secret place full of real fighter jets and military vehicles.
The weather was perfect for the shoot.
Since our staff members were to appear on the set themselves, they changed into costumes that had been prepared behind the scenes.
While the staff was changing, the film crew reconfirmed the angles and concept, and completed setting up the scene.
Then the two appeared.
The two came dressed in camouflage military uniforms.
Kogure, who was in charge of repair, managed to look like a real person thanks to his short hair, but Matsui, however, was not dressed like a real person at all.
Brother from a safari park
However, Matsui's looks like an older brother at a safari park, doesn't it?
By the way, this military uniform prepared for you was customized for the U.S. Army Corps. Amazing!
While we were having a good time in harmony, a man wearing a suspicious helmet appeared from behind us.
"Geez, what!
It was Kashida, the guitarist, dressed in a U.S. Air Force pilot's suit and wearing the helmet of an actual fighter plane, albeit a bit old-fashioned.
"Wow, it's the real thing!
Whoever it was was wearing a helmet and his face was not visible,
A man with a physique as fine as an American's.
but he was fortunate enough to be selected because he had a fine physique like that of an American.
The shutter was clicked as the two men posing as fighters on the right and left and maintenance crews also posed in various ways.
Of course, it was not an actual aircraft, but it was certainly the real thing, and it was on display.
The locals pointed at us, but we proceeded with the photo shoot in good spirits, and took a commemorative photo at the end.
Even though it was February, the temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius. I felt a little sweaty in the sun.
WELCOME TO OINAWA," we thought.
We thanked everyone who helped us with the filming and left.
We then drove for about an hour to our second destination, Cape Zanba, a famous cliff face. We arrived at our second destination, Cape Zanba, a famous cliff face.
It is hard to convey the realistic impression from the photo, but it is a very cliff edge.
It is very dangerous!
Apparently, there are deaths every year, and the slogan "Don't underestimate the sea! The motto "Don't underestimate the sea!
However, for those of us who have lived in urban forests for a long time, places like this are truly refreshing.
By the way, the emergency number at sea is "118," which I did not know.
Well, there is a lighthouse on the other side. Apparently, it is possible to go up there, and since we had come this far, we had no choice but to go.
I went up the narrow spiral staircase and arrived at the rooftop. As I passed through the small doorway, a strong sea breeze blew from my chest to my back.
Amazing.
Everyone was saying the same thing, but I didn't really understand what was so great about it.
The only thing I am sure of is that it felt really good. The view was truly spectacular.
It was definitely good for my health because my focus was much further away than when I was in the city.
After about five minutes, I heard a little voice and looked down to see a little Matsui standing there, waving to me.
He's so small!"
That's right. He is not good at heights, so he did not go up to the lighthouse and enjoyed walking on the surface.
We descended the same spiral staircase to the surface, and I bought an Okinawan specialty at a nearby store.
Beni imo ice cream♪
It was so good! It was delicious.
A few hours before the flight departure, we drove to Naha.
On the way to Naha, we stopped at a recycle store, and while we were looking for souvenirs, one of them came out with a big box in his hand.
What did you buy?"
"Oh, a Wii..."
Oh, that game. It seems that the Wii is so popular in Tokyo that you have to wait in line to buy it, and he just happened to find it and bought it. Well, he is very dynamic.
Such happenings are also part of the fun of travel.
Returning to Naha City, we decided to visit the famous Kokusai Street.
We wandered around the street full of tourists, looking for souvenirs.
We then packed the souvenirs we bought here into the empty guitar case we used for the photo shoot and headed for the airport.
Finally, my trip to Okinawa came to an end.
We stayed in Okinawa for about 25 hours, and although it was a very hectic trip, we must have left behind a lot of memories.
The staff's efforts to come all the way to Okinawa, which also served as a photo shoot, were in fact nothing short of extraordinary.
A few hours later, we arrived safely at Haneda at almost 11:00 p.m. One of the staff members hurried to catch the train. One staff member hurriedly boarded the train, and the rest of us took a carpool with our oversized bags and returned to the restaurant by taxi. The rest of us returned to the restaurant by cab.
"Thanks for your hard work!"
After we broke up, for some reason
In the direction of Kabukicho
I know there was a staff member who disappeared in the direction of Kabukicho....