IHI Aerospace Tomioka Representative Office Holds Tomioka Rocket Festival

The IHI Aerospace Tomioka Representative Office in Gunma Prefecture held the 23^rd Tomioka Rocket Festival on September 2 to express gratitude to and entertain employees, families, local residents, and business partners. Because of disruptions owing to the COVID 19 pandemic, the event took place for the first time since 2019. The Tomioka City Government supported this festival for the first time. Around 3,200 people from around the region took advantage of the pleasant weather to attend.

Fumiharu Namiki, President of IHI Aerospace, declared the festival open. Ichita Yamamoto, Governor of Gunma Prefecture, delivered a speech on behalf of guests of honor. Tomioka City Fire Brigade Band then delivered a stirring performance.

IHI Aerospace President Fumiharu Namiki greeted the crowd

The Tomioka City Fire Company Band impressed with a stirring performance

The venue comprised 26 IHI Aerospace business unit booths, each offering something different. All proved very popular, with some selling out halfway through the festival. The Sales Department booth enjoyed particularly heavy traffic on the strength of its Satsuma-age (fried fishcakes) and imo-jochu (sweet potato shochu). Both offerings are specialties of Kagoshima Prefecture, home to the Epsilon Launch Vehicle site. The group leaders association sold taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes) for a bargain-basement ¥50 each, so the cooks strained to keep up with demand.

The group leaders’ association had an extremely busy day preparing Taiyaki

The Sales Department offered Kagoshima Prefecture specialties Satsuma-age and imo-jochu

The General Planning Department and DX Promotion Office ran a Takoyaki (grilled batter balls filled with diced octopus) stall

The Production Center's Manufacturing Group ran the Yo-Yo Tsuri (picking up balls from a container filled with water) stall

For the plastic beverage bottle rocket workshop, always a feature at the festival, employees showed children how to make, check, and launch their creations. One rocket comprised three bottles put together, with a nose cone, nozzle, and fins. The children heeded advice that straight, light, and strong rockets fly furthest, and came up with some ingenious designs. Instructors inspected completed rockets and placed stickers on those passing muster. The children then launched their rockets and delighted in seeing them soar into the sky.

Kids produced their plastic bottle rockets under close instruction from IHI Aerospace experts

Many children found launching their rockets a highlight of the day

One special event was a stamp rally that featured a quiz to about IHI Aerospace’s involvement in such fields as rocketry, planetary probes, and aero-engine parts. There was additionally a quiz about IHI Aerospace’s internal exhibition room, which is not usually open to the public and which fascinated visitors with its rocket models and other items.

Many festival goers took the opportunity to take part in the stamp rally

The exhibition room was packed with a lot of fascinating aerospace items

The festival was the fruit of six months of preparations for all employees at the IHI Aerospace Tomioka Representative Office. They look forward to continuing to engage with stakeholders through future festivals to build understanding about their business and products and make IHI group’s corporate citizenship even more robust.

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