Japan Tour 7 – Tokyo Heli Tour

Japan Tour 7 – Tokyo Heli Tour

Tokyo, located at the head of Tokyo Bay in the Kantō region on Honshu, is part of the world's largest metropolitan area. The Greater Tokyo Area, including Tokyo and six nearby prefectures, had 41 million residents in 2024.

We depart from Atsugi Aero (RJTA), head south to the coast, then proceed in a counterclockwise direction.  We turn towards Yokahama, then Tokyo Bay, followed by a tour of Tokyo landmarks. Leaving the city center we head west to the Tama River and follow it to our finishing airport Tachikawa (RJTC).

 Flightplan HERE

Naval Air Facility Atsugi (RJTA) is a joint Japan-US naval air base in Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest US Navy air base in the Pacific and previously hosted all squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five, which deploys with the aircraft carrier at Yokosuka Naval Base.

The Enoshima Sea Candle is an observation tower and lighthouse in the Samuel Cocking Garden on Enoshima island. Built for the 2002 centenary of the Enoshima Electric Railway, it stands beside the original 1951 lighthouse.

Kōtoku-in is a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, best known for its large outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha, The Great Buddha of Kamakura, a famous Japanese icon and designated National Treasure.

Yokohama, the largest port city and tech centre in the Greater Tokyo Area, was once a small fishing village during Japan's isolationist Edo period. In 1853–54, Commodore Perry's arrival with American warships led to Japan opening its ports by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.

Minato Mirai 21 (MM) is Yokohama's central business district, known for bay views, cruise ships at Ōsanbashi Pier, modern skyscrapers, and the iconic Yokohama Bay Bridge.

The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line is an expressway combining a bridge and tunnel across Tokyo Bay, Japan. The artificial island Umihotaru separates the two sections and offers a rest area with amenities. The Kaze no Tō ventilation tower uses bay winds to supply air to the tunnel.

Tokyo Gate Bridge is a truss cantilever bridge over Tokyo Bay. Its height allows ships to pass below but does not obstruct flights to Haneda Airport. Due to its shape, it is nicknamed 'Dinosaur Bridge'.

The Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning northern Tokyo Bay from Shibaura Pier to Odaiba in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, officially known as the Tokyo Port Bridge.

Century Park Tower, part of Tokyo's River City 21 complex in Chūō ward, is a 590-foot-tall residential building completed in March 1999. It ranks as Tokyo's 45th tallest and Japan's 66th tallest building.

Tokyo Skytree, Japan's tallest tower since 2012, features seismic proofing with a reinforced concrete shaft. The main pillar connects to the outer structure up to 410 ft, and from there to 1,230 ft, oil dampers cushion earthquake shocks. An added mass control mechanism helps keep the structure stable during tremors.

Tokyo Station, opened in 1914 to serve several major lines, was damaged in the 1945 Tokyo bombing but quickly reopened. It became the starting point for the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964 and now handles over 4,000 scheduled trains daily, making it Japan’s busiest station by train volume.

The Imperial Palace in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward is home to Japan’s emperor. It features park-like grounds, several buildings including living quarters, ceremonial halls, residences for the Imperial Family, an archive, museums, and offices. The 1.15-square-kilometer site was formerly Edo Castle.

The National Diet Building is Japan's parliamentary building. German architects Wilhelm Böckmann and Hermann Ende were invited to design it in the late 1800s, initially proposing a European-style structure, but later adapting their plans to include traditional Japanese elements due to public resistance. In 1918, a public competition was held, resulting in Watanabe Fukuzo's winning design, which resembled those of Ende and Böckmann.

Tokyo Tower, also known as Japan Radio Tower, is a communications and observation tower in Minato's Shiba-koen district. Built in 1958 and standing at 1,092 ft, it was Japan's tallest tower until Tokyo Skytree opened in 2012. Its design is based on the Eiffel Tower and features white and international orange colors for air safety.

Shibuya, once a mediocre area developed around the railway terminus, overtook Shinjuku as a hub for youth culture in the 1970s. Shibuya Crossing, near Shibuya Station, is known as the world's busiest pedestrian scramble, with up to 3,000 people crossing per green light. Opened in 1973, it's a major tourist spot and an iconic Tokyo landmark featured widely in media.

Yoyogi National Gymnasium, located in Yoyogi Park, Shibuya, is renowned for its suspension roof. It seats 12,898 people with a 43,000 sq ft arena, mainly hosting ice hockey, futsal, basketball, and volleyball. The gymnasium was highlighted as one of the most beautiful 20th-century buildings when Kenzō Tange won the 1987 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku was designed by Kenzo Tange. The complex includes three structures, the tallest being the 48-story Building No.1, which divides into two sections at the 33rd floor and has three underground levels. Its design resembles both an integrated circuit and a Gothic cathedral. It is the world's tallest city hall.

Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative hub in Tokyo, home to Shinjuku Station - the world's busiest railway station. The 1945 Tokyo air raids destroyed most local buildings, but postwar reconstruction retained the area's pre-war roads and rails as its foundation. In the 1960s, Shinjuku became Tokyo's center for new ideas and artistic innovation, similar to New York's Greenwich Village.

Mode Gakuen Cocoon is a 669-foot, 50-story educational building in Nishi-Shinjuku, designed by Paul Noritaka Tange's team. Finished in 2008, it's the world's second-tallest educational building and was named Emporis' 2008 Skyscraper of the Year.

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, displays Studio Ghibli’s animation works. Located in Inokashira Park, it blends elements of children's, technology, and fine arts museums. Highlights include a Catbus replica, café, bookstore, rooftop garden, and a theater showing exclusive Studio Ghibli short films.

The Tama River, marking the border between Tokyo and Kanagawa, runs through the Greater Tokyo Area. Its Tokyo banks feature parks and sports fields, making the river a popular picnic destination. Due to frequent flooding—sometimes so severe the river changed course and split settlements—several nearby communities share the same names, such as Todoroki. The present river path was established after a major flood in 1590.

Tachikawa is a city on the Musashino Terrace in western Tokyo, about 40 km from central Tokyo, with the Tama River separating it from Hino. Once a small Edo-period village along the Koshu Kaido, Tachikawa became a town after the Imperial Japanese Army established an airfield there in 1922, then gained city status in 1940. It was a military center before WWII and remained a major U.S. base until 1977.

Tachikawa AFB (RJTC) was redesigned from Tachikawa Army Air Base on March 5, 1948. In 1949, logistics moved to the eastern section, and military activity grew in 1950 to support the UN in the Korean War. The 375th Troop Carrier Wing managed airlift operations, while the 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron transported over 70,000 wounded to the base hospital—the largest U.S. military medical facility in the Far East—for treatment.

Japan in 8K -Tokyo

Scenery Recommendations

•   World Update 1 Japan
  •  3D Photogrammetry Cities
  •  Japan Points of Interest
• World Update 20 Japan –
  • Japan II - 3D Photogrammetry Cities
  • Japan 2 Points of Interest
•  Tokyo City Times MSFS20/24 by SamScene3D | Contrail Shop

Recommend Departure time of 2:00 PM

• Date and time: Saturday Feb 7, 18:00 UTC    
•  RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
• MFS Multiplayer: US Eastcoast Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!