SAGA — Saga Airport in Saga Prefecture has distinguished itself by becoming the first airport in Japan to install a karaoke booth, offering passengers a unique way to spend their waiting time. This initiative comes as airports across Japan increasingly focus on providing diverse amenities like eateries, shopping malls, and entertainment facilities. Saga Airport hopes the karaoke booth will appeal to both domestic travelers and the growing number of inbound international tourists.

The "Saganosora" (Saga sky) karaoke booth, resembling a large telephone booth, underwent a trial run on the airport's first floor before finding its permanent home on the third floor of the international terminal building. Standing 2.4 meters high, it can accommodate up to four people, though it is equipped with two microphones. For ¥100 per song, travelers can don headphones and sing along to their favorite tunes.

Kyushu-Saga International Airport Building Co., the Saga-based firm that operates the airport, introduced the karaoke booth to enhance the passenger experience. The booth was created by Daiichikosho Co., the Tokyo-based company behind the Big Echo karaoke chain. The airport operator named the booth and strategically placed it near the central stairway for high visibility among both domestic and international travelers. A digital clock is also included inside the booth to ensure passengers don't miss their flights.

Ryuji Matsufuji, a company employee from Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, was among the first to try the Saganosora booth. "When I visit Saga Airport for travel or something, I sometimes worry about how I will pass the time," he said. "I think this will give me an easy way to spend it well."

A Daiichikosho official highlighted the potential appeal to international tourists. "We have high expectations for the booth to be used by foreign tourists, as karaoke offers them a good way of using Japanese coins that they won’t be able to exchange when they go back to their countries," the official explained.

Saga Airport primarily serves residents of Saga Prefecture and southern Fukuoka Prefecture. In 2020 and 2021, the airport operator invested in improvements like a renovated paid lounge and an expanded area for selling local specialty goods. However, the number of stores at Saga Airport remains fewer than at larger airports like Fukuoka Airport. A 2023 survey conducted by Kyushu-Saga International Airport Building revealed that many passengers desired more entertainment options.

The resumption of international flights connecting Saga with Taipei, Shanghai, and Seoul in 2023 has significantly boosted passenger numbers. As of December 2024, the total number of passengers on these routes since the start of the fiscal year exceeded 92,000 and continues to climb. This growth prompted airport officials to seek new ways to entertain passengers. Their search led them to a leisure industry exhibition in Tokyo last autumn, where they encountered the Daiichikosho karaoke booth.

Sho Akikawa, chief of the business planning section of Kyushu-Saga International Airport Building, commented, “We feel there’s something surprising about seeing a karaoke booth inside an airport, and so we thought it would be a good way to offer a new kind of amusement. It can be used by people other than the passengers themselves, so we hope this will serve as an opportunity to promote Saga Airport as a visitor-friendly location.”

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