Japan Airlines - JAL gets ‘Happi’

Japan Airlines - JAL gets ‘Happi’

In 2012, a painting that the Beatles (John, George, Ringo and Paul) co-created in a Tokyo hotel suite during their first and only trip to Japan together, sold at auction for more than USD $150,000. They played five shows in three days during that 1966 visit, but sadly were unable to make other public appearances in the city due to strict security measures.

The one major public showing they did manage pull off, was when the four bandmates stepped off their Japan Airlines (JAL) flight from London to Haneda Airport on July 29th still wearing their Happi Coats – beautiful silky robes styled after the traditional Japanese ‘Happi’ garment and given to all JAL First Class flyers at the time. So many photos were snapped of the Beatles in that moment that it was great PR for the airline, and the garment was immor talized as well.'

In December, for a very limited time, JAL brought back the Happi Coat First Class amenity on the JL 044 London Heathrow to Haneda flight. From mid-month to New Year all First Class passengers received the navy blue and white silky robes with waist tie and the word ‘Kotobuki’, meaning ‘best wishes’, emblazoned boldly in red Kanji font across the back. Business Class passengers flying the route on December 24th and 25th were also treated to the coats.

As the flagship carrier of Japan, a country as steeped in history as it is modern and technologically advanced, it’s wonderful to see JAL recalling it’s own past activities with an exclusive promotion of this type, which is also clearly designed to reward top-paying premier customers. The campaign is also a clever way of reminding the world that JAL was indeed part of the Beatlemania in the swinging sixties.

Some of these modern-day replica Happi coats have already found their way to the online marketplace Ebay, though they’re selling for just a fraction of the famous hotel room painting created by the band.

Numerous aviation, travel and Asia-focus news outlets have covered this recent limited-time giveaway, including Rocket News (blog), Intelligent Aerospace and Business Traveller .

For more colour on the original Beatles landing in Japan, a Japan Times online feature from March 2013 called “The Day My Mum Looked After the Beatles” explains what the London to Haneda flight was like for a stewardess who served the band.