RJTJ-Spot1
Iruma Air Base – Spotting Guide
- last modified on December 7, 2023
Iruma Air Base (-/RJTJ) is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) base is located in the city of Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, northwest of the downtown of Tokyo. Iruma Air Base is home to the Air Defense Command Headquarters Flight Group and roughly 40km away from the heart of the Japanese capital Tokyo. It was opened back in 1937 and under American rule as off 1945. From 1958 on, the number of American facilities was reduced at Iruma air base partly till it was completely taken over by JASDF in 1978 again. Nowadays it is mainly used by transport aircraft, but let’s get exact now…
The aircraft based at this airfield here include the U-4, NAMC YS-11, T-4, and Kawasaki (E)C-1 / (E)C-2. Its annual air show on the November 3rd Culture Day holiday is a popular public event, which attracts between 125.000-225.000 visitors each time.
Written by Wout Goossens and some pictures provided by Frederik Vermeersch. Last Update: Novemeber 2019
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 17/35 | 2.000m / 6.562 ft – Asphalt and concrete |
| Terminals | |
| – | – only military facilities such as hangars. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Little step is needed, no full size ladder. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is ideal as public transport is doable. |
| Restrooms | Nothing nearby. |
| Drinks/Food | Best to bring with you altough there are some shops around. |
| Hotels | Some hotels nearby, mostly around the east side of base, but none is known for great “spotterviews”. |
| Season | All year round is good here. |
| Security | We just want to remind you that you are spotting at an airbase! To be safe, always carry an ID with you although there were never any problems with spotters at this airfield. But also please take care and don’t plant too high ladders directly at the fence for a long time. As mentioned, be aware that this airport is used as military base therefore it is highly recommended to keep a low profile although our hobby is familar to most people here! |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Single runway operations 17/35, only used regarding wind direction. |
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Spot #1 – Restaurant – Runway 17 line-up + landings |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is located on/next to a little road within a residential area nearby a little restaurant northwest of the airfield boundaries. It is best to reach by car, which can be parked directly there, but a train station called “Sayamashi” is also quite close. However, going from the station to this spot or the other way around takes ~12-20 minutes. |
| WHAT | Runway 17 line-up and landings. |
| TIME | Later midday till sunset. |
| MISC. | A little step is required. You are standing on/ right next to a little road so please be careful and don’t interfear with traffic. The nearby restaurant has all you need: food, drinks and restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 30-250mm Landing: 40mm for a C-2, 70mm for a C-1, 65mm for a C-130 / Line-up 200mm for C-1 |
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Spot #2 – Park – Runway 17 line-up and landings |
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| WHERE | This spot is located on the northeast side of the airport, within a residence area. It can be found just next to a park attracting many visitors, who may be spotting as well or just watching. It is best to reach by car, which is suppossed to can be parked nearby, but a train station called “Sayamashi” is also quite close. However, going from the station to this spot or the other way around takes ~10-15 minutes. |
| WHAT | Runway 17 line-up and landings. |
| TIME | Sunrise till earlier noon. |
| MISC. | A little ladder is needed. Parking is a bit more tricky here, but should be possible somewhere in the nearby streets all around this residential area |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 30-200mm |
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Spot #3 – DIY Shop – Runway 35 arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot can be found just next to a DIY store south of the base. Parking your car is tricky here, but once you have done this you can stand just west of the DIY shop on the small stairs or just the free area (shown on the overview below). Of course you can also vary your position in this area if you don’t like the angle here… It is best to reach by car, which can be parked directly there, but a train station called “Musashi-Fujisawa” is also not too far away. However, going from the station to this spot or the other way around takes ~15-25 minutes. |
| WHAT | From here you can see arrivals onto runway 35. |
| TIME | Sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Ladder useful in order to have a view onto the runway itsself and not only approach. Otherwise arrivals should also work without ladder. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 30-200mm |
We can’t provide any example shots yet, feel free to send us some so we can include them here. But the spot itsself looks like this and you can stand on the left to take pictures – source: Google
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Spot #4 – Water basin – Taxiway RWY 35 |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot can be found south of the base just by the fence along the runway’s head. It is located near the Furo river and a water basin and best to reach from the west. Park your car at spot #5 and walk down here. Turn into this strip between the fences (airport on the one site, water pond on the other) and walk till you reached your favourite position. It is best to reach by car, which can be parked directly there, but a train station called “Musashi-Fujisawa” is also not too far away. However, going from the station to this spot or the other way around takes ~15-25 minutes. |
| WHAT | Main taxiway/line-up while the taxi for RWY 35 departure. |
| TIME | Morning till early noon. |
| MISC. | Ladder is needed |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 90-200mm |
Spot itsself looks like this, walk in along the fence as marked here in order to get to the fencepart from one can take great taxiway head-ons – source: Google
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Spot #5 – Streetside – Runway 35 Taxiway + line-ups + landings |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is located across the Toyooka Daiichi clinic, on a little dirtstrip allongside the road. It can be found west of the southern end of the runway and is surrounded by plenty paking spaces. It is best to reach by car, which can be parked directly there, but a train station called “Musashi-Fujisawa” is also not too far away. However, going from the station to this spot or the other way around takes ~15-25 minutes. |
| WHAT | Runway 35 Taxiway, line-up and landings. |
| TIME | Afternoon – sunset. |
| MISC. | A little step is required. Be aware, you are standing right next to a bussy road, so please be careful! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 40-300mm On the taxiway: 55mm for a C-1, 65mm for a U-4, 60mm for YS-11 / On the runway 300mm Kawasaki T-4, 250mm Hawker Hunter, 180mm for C-4, 150mm for U-4 |
I am going to Tokyo for a couple days what day and for all when in the morning to about 1-2pm is best to spot?
If you could when is best time of day to spot there?
Hello. I recommend visiting Iruma Air Base on a weekday, as Self-Defense Force aircraft generally do not fly on weekends or holidays. For spotting at this time of year, I suggest “Spot 1” and “Spot 2.” These locations allow for photography in both the morning and the afternoon. Since afternoon flights begin at 13:00, I recommend timing your visit to coincide with that schedule.
I highly recommend the Open Day in November. You get to see many of the aircraft and Blue Impulse puts on a show. But … be ready for crowds, especially if you use the train. The local station has two tiny platforms and it has to deal with about 200000 people on the day. Leaving the base can be a real pain as there will be so many people. Be careful of the crush to protect your gear. Other than that, it offers an incredible day for aviation photography.
Hi, I want to shoot throgh the fences at spot#5 but i dont have a ladder. A 43mm filter diameter lens is ok for these fences?
helo I am a spotter from Indonesia, I want to ask, is the flight activity at Iruma very routine?
Iruma is quite an active base, each morning and afternoon there are several sorties
I’m a Japanese. I did take a plane photo in Iruma airbase. You can check Training time in airbase website.
https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/iruma/osirase/info_nf/TL/index.html
This is a website. But you can check an only training time of holiday.