Helicopter rides for a driveable distance in Japan

Since it's Sky Week (I learn a lot via this site!), I'm reflecting on some of my sky-related experiences here. This one pertains to my husband, who was once a member of the US military. We were stationed at Yokota Air Force base, and oftentimes he would have to go to central Tokyo for meetings.

Now, the driving distance between those places is about 45 kilometers, which in many countries would be a very manageable drive. However, most of the time when he'd have to go to Tokyo, others would be required to go as well, and it would brush right up against workday peak hour traffic. That 45 kilometer drive can turn into hours, so what would they often do? Take a helicopter from Yokota Air Base to Hardy Barracks, a military facility in Roppongi. It turned what is a looooong drive to a 15 or 20 minute flight.

Yokota AB from above

Not really great from a sustainability perspective at all, but there have definitely been times when I wish I could have had that ability to get from A to B here without fighting traffic!