By KENJI ODA/ Staff Writer
June 1, 2025 at 07:00 JST
An image that the Sakai municipal government released in 2023 (Provided by Sakai municipal government)
SAKAI, Osaka Prefecture--City authorities gave the go-ahead for trial balloon rides at ancient burial grounds here from early October.
The area features the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a cluster of fifth century “kofun” burial mounds designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Trial balloon rides using helium gas were initially scheduled to get off the ground in spring 2023 but suspended due to a leak.
Authorities here plan to use Daisen Park in the city’s Sakai Ward as the launch site. The moored balloon will use helium gas for buoyancy to stay 100 meters above the ground.
It will be tethered to the ground by cables and raised or lowered by mechanical equipment.
Authorities will make an environmental impact assessment of the flights during the first year. If no problems arise, rides will continue for another six years.
The fare for adults is expected to be around 4,000 yen ($28), but the amount will likely vary depending on whether the passenger is a Sakai resident, a domestic resident outside the city or a foreign resident/visitor. Details will be finalized later.
Around 60,000 people are expected to take balloon rides annually.
The operating company, Advance, is based in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture.
Initial plans called for using a British-made balloon in May 2023, but the project was halted just before flights started after helium gas was found to be leaking from the balloon.
The cause of the problem was not identified, and the British manufacturer later went into liquidation. As a result, authorities switched to a French manufacturer.
Six years have passed since the plan was first announced.
“Safety and security are our top priorities and we want to get started,” Sakai Mayor Hideki Nagafuji told reporters. “I believe the rides will lead to people rediscovering the charms of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group.”
The area includes the 486-meter-long Daisen Kofun tumulus that is thought to be the final resting place of fifth century Emperor Nintoku. The keyhole-shaped moated mound is the biggest memorial of its kind in Japan and cannot be seen in its entirety from the ground.
For this reason, Nagafuji announced in 2019, when the site was registered as a World Heritage Site, that the city would set up balloon flights.
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