A balloon slowly rises above the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. (Video footage by Hiyori Uchiumi)
SAKAI, Osaka Prefecture–Balloon rides for the public over ancient burial sites of emperors, a project years in the making, were to start here on Oct. 4, but got postponed due to bad weather.
Journalists and Sakai municipal government officials were treated to a preview ride the previous day over the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a cluster of fifth century “kofun” burial mounds designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Sakai Mayor Hideki Nagafuji and Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura were among those who went aloft. The balloon can carry 30 passengers.
Tethered to the ground at Daisen Park by cables, the balloon reached an altitude of 113 meters when it hovered over the kofun group.
After the roughly 10-minute ride, Yoshimura told reporters in the doughnut-shaped gondola, “I was deeply moved because I could clearly see with my own eyes the shape” of the mound.
He suggested the balloon ride would become a new symbol for Osaka.
He called viewing the keyhole-shaped Daisen Kofun tumulus a wonderful experience. The 500-meter-long mound is thought to be the final resting place of fifth-century Emperor Nintoku.
Although Sakai is known as the city of kofun, a major problem facing officials for many years was the inability to gauge the scale of the historic sites.
From 2010, city government officials began weighing ways to view the burial mounds from the air: by helicopter, small planes and balloons.
Balloons were chosen for cost and environmental reasons.
In 2019, when the site was registered as a World Heritage Site, Nagafuji announced that the city would set up balloon flights.
After a flight operator was chosen in 2021, initial plans called for balloon rides to start that year.
But various problems emerged to delay the start, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a key supplier of helium gas and the invasion led to a global shortage.
The fare for adults is 4,200 yen ($28), while children between the ages of 3 and 15 can ride for 3,000 yen. Sakai residents as well as those who reserve tickets over the internet receive a discount.
Tickets can be purchased via the website of Advance Co., operator of the rides, at (https://osaka-sakai-balloon.com/).
(This article was written by Kenji Oda and Taro Tamaki.)
AloJapan.com