Therese Sta. MariaJapan Airlines (JAL) wants to kick off its 70th Anniversary with a throwback to an old fashion piece famously sported by the Beatles back in 1966. The airline is re-releasing a special limited edition of Happi, a traditional Japanese cotton jacket that the Japanese usually wear at local festivals.
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The happi jackets
Image credit: Japan Airlines
The JAL happi flaunts a minimalist design, compared to other happi jackets, with its dark blue and white colour motif and “JAL” stitched at the front. Meanwhile, “kotobuki,” meaning “congratulations,” is painted in red at the back. This is said to be the very same happi design of the ones worn by the Fab Four — Paul, John, George, and Ringo, when they took their iconic photo in Haneda Airport. They visited Japan for Tokyo’s Budokan in 1966.
Image credit: UPI via Wikimedia
Happi jackets were usually gifted to JAL VIPs from all over the world. This was discontinued and brought back in 2016 for first-class passengers flying from London to Tokyo. Now, the happi jackets are easier for everyone to buy as JAL is selling them online for ¥6,380 (US$57). Not a bad deal for both Japan enthusiasts and fans of The Beatles. Order yours here!
Also read: Japan Created a Kimono for Every Nation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics!
Traditional garments will always have a special charm as they symbolise a huge part of every country’s culture, especially in Asia. If you’ve ever worn one of Japan’s traditional pieces, drop us your photo on the comment section of our Facebook page!
