■Nathan Shiga: May 18

There are hundreds of common practices that are quite ordinary to us Japanese turn out to appear extraordinary to non-Japanese. Take Narita International Airport, for instance – the mammoth facilities that celebrate its 40th anniversary on 20th this month (May). President Makoto Natsume of Narita Airport believes his airport calls for an occasion to celebrate its 40th anniversary and a ritual to wish its facilities good luck for years to come.

Over a dozen monks from Narita’s Shinshoji Temple took part in the ritual and recited the sutra and some priests from a nearby Shinto shrine conducted the purification ceremony. The scene was something to watch for foreign tourists at the airport then – an exotic mixture of old and new rare to see anywhere else.

The ritual was held at the departure lobby and attended by over 100 airport officials and government representatives. President Natsume thanked the local people for their support in building up the airport to what it is today and pledged to mark a fresh start to further develop his airport safe and trustworthy facilities.

Transport Minister Ishii promises to increase Haneda/Narita’s landing slot to a million to cater for constantly boosting inbound.

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