Blue Impulse pilot Shoya Matsuura, left, smiles during a briefing at Kansai International Airport ahead of the team’s flight on July 13, 2025. (Mainichi/Tadakazu Nakamura)
OSAKA — The Blue Impulse aerobatics team from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force flew over the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, on July 12 and 13. Their first show in April was canceled because of bad weather, so this was their new chance to perform.
Read the full English article
Read the original Japanese article
One pilot, Shoya Matsuura, 30, is from Suita in Osaka Prefecture. Suita is famous for the “Tower of the Sun,” a big symbol from the 1970 Osaka Expo. When Matsuura was a child, he saw Blue Impulse fly and decided he wanted to be a pilot. After flying at the Expo, he said, “I’ve achieved a lifetime goal.”
The team took off from Kansai International Airport and flew over famous places like Tsutenkaku Tower, Osaka Castle, and the Tower of the Sun. Over the Expo site, they made white smoke shapes in the sky, like hearts and the number “8,” and did special flying tricks for 15 minutes.
After the flight, Matsuura said, “It was amazing.” He was happy to see his hometown from the sky and wondered if his friends were watching.
Before flying, the team checked the weather, the airport, and their flight plan. Matsuura smiled as he got ready to make the smoke shapes.
The Air Self-Defense Force’s Blue Impulse aerobatics team performs near Kansai International Airport on July 13, 2025. (Mainichi/Tadakazu Nakamura)
After the two-day show, Matsuura said he hoped people enjoyed the flights, and that flying over the place where he grew up was unforgettable.
(Japanese original by Tadakazu Nakamura, Izumisano Resident Bureau)
Vocabulary
aerobatics: special flying tricks done by airplanes
pilot: a person who flies an airplane
briefing: a meeting to talk about plans before doing something
artificial island: an island made by people, not by nature
unforgettable: something you will always remember
achieve: to reach a goal or dream
landmark: a famous place or building
AloJapan.com