Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (JAL) has partnered with Hakuhodo Inc. to release the second round of their ‘KOKYO NFT’ collection.
The news broke via a blog by KOKYO NFT, who said the NFTs will unlock six local experiences across the country. The goal of the NFTs is to encourage a Web3 community among stakeholders in Japan and throughout the world through the digitization of experiences and real-world assets.
The first iteration of the KOKYO NFT collection was released in February 2023 with the aim of deepening connections between local businesses and NFT holders. The second collection will be focused primarily on utilizing regional real assets (RWA) by transforming experiences and crafts from six regions in the country into digital assets.
The six regions and experiences to be featured for the NFT project include:
- Toyako Town, Abuta District, Hokkaido: Holders can attend a firework experience provided by the Toyako Onsen Tourism Association on March 24, 2024.
- Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture: An NFT experience provided by Meiri Liqour Co., Ltd. allows holders to purchase high-quality sake and to taste rare sake directly at the brewery.
- Minamitane-cho, Kumage-gun, Kahoshima Prefecture: Artworks from the annual ‘Tanegahima Space Art Festival’ will be converted into NFTs that can be jointly owned. NFT holders can also attend a planetarium tour held inside a cave.
- Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture: NFTs will allow holders to create an original knife with the help of the artisans of Fukui’s 700 year old tradition. Holders can customize knife patterns to their liking, and take a tour of the washi paper and lacquer workshops.
- Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture: Holders will be invited to stay at Ohana, a mansion run by the Tachibana family, the former feudal lord of Yanagawa. There they can have the experience of being a samurai, and participate in annual events from the Tachibana family.
- Amami City, Kagoshima Prefecture: NFT holders will be invited to enjoy live music, tastings, and participate in the manufacturing process of Shōchū, a traditional Japanese beverage made from rice, buckwheat, sweat potatoes or brown sugar. Holders will receive three original bottles.
Alongside these six projects, a collection of dynamic NFTs featuring origami art that gradually changes shape as holders complete quests and challenges will also be launched. The NFTs will be sold on ‘Astar zKEVM,’ powered by the Polygon blockchain, with secondary distribution available on Rarible.
Global Airlines Embrace NFTs
NFTs issued by airlines seems like an odd fit at first. However, because NFTs enable a more direct connection to customers, they are becoming more popular with airlines around the world. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several stories about global airlines embracing NFT and blockchain technology.
Here are some of the top headlines from the past couple of years:
- Lufthansa Partners with Polygon for NFT Loyalty Program
- Etihad Airways Offers NFT Staking for Frequent Flier Miles
- Japan’s All Nippon Airways Creates NFT Marketplace
- Argentinian Airline Issues Tickets as Non-Fungible Tokens
- Emirates Airline Introduces Bitcoin Payments and NFTs
- United Emirates Airlines to Launch NFTs In the Metaverse
- Australia’s Airline Qantas Airways is Creating NFTs
As you can see, the move by Japan Airlines into the NFT space is nothing novel. However, their focus on using NFTs to give customer’s access to real-life local experiences and assets certainly is. Only time will tell how the ambitious new project plays out. But if it’s a success, we expect we’ll see similar NFT collections launched by airlines in the future.