05 Oct 2024

Discover Japan's Ballooning history at the Saga Balloon Museum

Learning about modern sport ballooning and Japan's early balloon vanguards helps the Saga Balloon Museum appeal to visitors of all ages.
A report by Katsura Endo, CIA/PMR member & Chiaki Baba, PMR of Japan Balloon Federation

You might know the Saga International Balloon Fiesta as one of the largest hot air balloon events in Asia. And you may have heard about the amazing bravo call “Yatta-! Yatta-!” from the entire audience at the target drop sites. You can join in as the annual event happens from 31 October to 4 November. And whilst you are visiting Saga, be sure to visit the Saga Balloon Museum.

The Saga Balloon Museum, located in the centre of Saga-City, is operated by Saga City government in cooperation with the Japan Balloon Federation. The museum fascinates many balloon pilots and crews and is a fun visit as well for local kids who grew up with balloons.

The museum shows the history and follows the growth of sport ballooning in Japan. Key exhibits include:

ICARUS No.5 - The first manned balloon flight in Japan in a homebuilt hot air balloon　

Icarus No.5’s flight in Makkari, Hokkaido, 1969

28 September 1969, Makkari, Hokkaido (Japan)

Two teams worked together on this project. Based in Kyoto Prefecture, Icarus Shoten Group, enthusiastic junior innovators. designed and produced an envelope and a gondola/ bottom end. The Hot Air Balloon working team, part of the Exploration Club at Hokkaido University, created and developed a burner system. Together, they succeeded and made the first manned hot air balloon flight in Japan!

The first pilots Erio Umesao & Atsuo Tanaka

The 2170m³ experimental balloon had a 19-minute flight that achieved a maximum altitude of approx. 850m.* Without a doubt, this was the very first step to ignite interest in ballooning in Japan.
(＊Privately documented record)

As you get to the top of stairway on the second floor, you can see this treasured Bottom/Gondola and the “mouth” portion of the original envelope. The burner is a replica, copied completely as per the drawing for its 30-year memorial re-enactment flight.

Icarus No.3 envelope for the duration trial

The exhibit includes some study documents and two prototype envelopes, one of them was sunk in the pool to monitor tensile force or air sealing!

Also, it is interesting to watch the video interview of Nobuo Shimamoto, member of the Icarus Shoten Group and the first President of Japan Balloon Federation, sharing stories about their early days of ballooning.

Featured pioneers shared their knowledge from international ballooning

At the same time as the expansion of experimental balloons in Japan, there is another front of Japan ballooning development.

Saburo (Sabu) Ichiyoshi in the Gas balloon, Augsburg,1972

Saburo Ichiyoshi (Sabu), known as The Legend and The Pioneer, led Japan ballooning into the advanced standard of lighter-than-air (LTA) fields from his extensive aviation activities.

Sabu was the pivotal person who experienced his Gas Balloon flight in West Germany, and through his cooperation with Cameron Balloons in England, introduced the international hot air ballooning standard to Japanese balloon society.

There are another two balloon pilots who had trained in the international circumstances and shared that knowledge within Japan - Toru Takahashi and Noboru Sato.

Toru Takahashi with his U.K. private balloon pilot licence

Toru Takahashi was the first Japanese pilot who had trained and obtained a Hot Air Balloon private license in U.K. He contributed to the growth of ballooning inside Japan in many ways. He became an instructor to many new aged student pilots. And he shared his knowledge of flight safety operations and proper maintenance of balloon equipment with the technical group of Japan Balloon Federation. Sadly, Toru Takahashi left this world in 2017 due to cancer.

Noboru Sato, Philippines, 2001

Noboru Sato was the pilot who earned the gas balloon license together with Sabu in West Germany. He had also contributed to bring the advanced ballooning systems into Japan ballooning with his technical knowledge that he shared.

In the museum, we can review the early days of ballooning development and study original equipment from the pioneering days of ballooning.

Imported equipment is displayed in the museum

Michio KANDA - The Record Challenger Forever

Centring around the ICARUS No.5 display at the Museum is the Hall of Fame of Japan Ballooning. Here visitors are introduced to balloonists with displays sharing notes of their superb achievements and importance to Japanese Ballooning.

World Duration Record flight in Canada to USA (Feb.1997)

At one stand, you will meet Michio Kanda’s serene smile. Michio Kanda (1949-2008) had flown to many World and Japan National record flights as he succeeded in some challenging flights in the 1970’s. For these outstanding successes, he had always pushed himself to move to the next challenge.

Michio Kanda with his notes from receiving his FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma

Michio Kanda received the Naomi Uemura Prize in 2001 in respect of his hot air balloon flight across Nanga Parbat (8126m) the mountain in Himalayan Range, Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 2000. In 2008, he took off for his second and last forever challenge for his plan to cross the Pacific Ocean by balloon.

Michio Kanda is on the left, with Co-Pilot HirosukeTakezawa on the right

Following is a portion of his great success:

Flight crossing over Mt. Fuji (1979)
Crossing Japan's North Alps (1980)
National Record in Distance in the sub class AX-6/AX-7 (419km) (1984)
National Record in Altitude in the sub class of AX-6 (9560m)（1986）
World Record in Altitude in the sub class of AX-7 (12910m) (1988)
National Record in Distance in the sub class of AX-8 (940km) (1993)
World Record in Distance in the sub class of AX-10/11/12/13/14 (2366.1km) (1994) Current record
World Record in Duration in the sub class of AX-10/11/12/13/14/15 (50hrs38mn.) (1997) AX10/11 Current record
Flight over Nanga Parbat in Himalayan Range (8126m) (2000)

Take off for flying over Nanga Parbat (8126m) in 2000

SAGA, the place for loving balloons

Now, let’s turn round to the other half area of the museum!

You can find so many beautiful balloons relating the development of modern sports ballooning for recent decades.

Every single display and interactive activity will be a feast for your eyes!

Buoyancy, wind, the materials of the envelope, the balloon museums around the world…

From here, Chiaki Baba, the Saga local pilot who loves ballooning and is an enthusiastic supporter, will show you how you can enjoy those exciting programs!

So real! Even trains come and go, you can see in your sight

AN OPpORTUNITY FOR LEARNING

The history, the structure, the materials, and the trivia, you can learn a lot about hot-air ballooning here, at the Saga Balloon Museum. But the most surprising exhibition is the Flight Simulator!

A child and their father try to get a balloon card at the crane game

There, you find the burners and basket on the monitor screen showing a bird’s eye view around the Saga International Balloon Fiesta CLA (Common Launch Area). You get in the basket, and grab the real burner handle to run the simulator. You can experience how a pilot works the equipment when approaching the target.

Another interesting exhibition is the Balloon Quiz. Scan the code on your admission ticket at the quiz machine and rally 5 machines to answer 10 quizzes on hot air ballooning. The quizzes are given by the famous voice actor, Son GoKu, from the Dragon Balls anime. If you like animes, you can’t miss it.

The Museum shop is full of interesting gifts of balloon memorabilia and Saga regional arts, crafts, food and more. Also, there you can buy the official items of the Saga International Balloon Fiesta all year round.

FOR FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

The Saga Balloon Museum also is a good place to visit with children. There are many attractions like a crane game, picture-taking game, and a dancing game. Children (and adults) will also like the Saga International Balloon Fiesta photos and movies. Even if a child is not interested in learning about balloons, he/she can enjoy the Museum. The Saga Balloon Museum has become a local popular spot for families with small children.

Free Game and Craft Events are held several times a year. Some parts of the event are learning about balloons, some are just for fun. The museum’s effort to encourage people to visit the Balloon Museum have made families add the museum to their ‘places to go’ and become familiar with the sport of ballooning, balloon competition and its history in Japan.

So, if you come to Saga, be sure to visit the Saga Balloon Museum! Please enjoy the museum and the history of ballooning in Japan, and meet people in Saga!