Hello, I am a study abroad student from Vietnam and my name is An. I am studying at Aso Foreign Language Tourism and Patissier College. I am currently a member of the Fukuoka Foreign Student Association. I have been in Japan for three years. One of the things I like doing is traveling around this beautiful country and gaining experiences. I will now introduce you to the Saga Balloon Museum, which is a very interesting place.

There are real balloons in the center of the museum.

Firstly, when one thinks of Saga city, does the Balloon Festival not immediately come to mind? The International Saga Balloon Festival is a major Asian air sports event that runs from the second half of October through the first part of November. This festival began in 1980. I participated in the Saga Balloon Festival in 2018. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s festival was canceled. In exchange, as requested by “Everyone’s Tourism Association,” I had a chance to go to the Saga Balloon Museum.

The customary yearly Balloon Festival in Saga

The Saga Balloon Festival is the first real hot air balloon model exhibition museum in Japan, opened on October 1, 2016 in Saga Prefecture, Matsubara.

At the Saga Balloon Festival, there is an extremely realistic movie theater where one can view and enjoy, on a 280 inch screen, an actual video of the International Balloon Festival. The hundreds of many-shaped balloons make the sky turn a vivid color. Further, in the flight simulator inside the museum, one can learn how these air balloons fly, study the condition of the wind, and experience how the pilots of these air balloons floating in the sky must feel. How high or far the air balloons will go are dependent on weather conditions. However, in this museum one need not be concerned with weather problems and can have a very real experience. Again, within the walls of the museum, there are historical air balloons on display, and one may learn much about various types of air balloons.

Viewed from outside, there is a large air balloon within the museum. At first I thought that it was fake; however, when I got inside I saw that it was a real air balloon. It was the first time I ever stood near such an air balloon. I had the feeling that I could not trust my own eyes.

On the second floor, again, I was intrigued by a mini air balloon on display. When the lamp is on, one can see many beautiful small air balloons that are very cute. There is also a small store where one can buy souvenirs and sweets, as well as air balloon-themed items.

Many thousands of visitors are fascinated by the Saga Balloon Museum every year. One can get to the Saga Balloon Museum from the International Balloon Festival by bus for only 100 yen.

When one thinks of a “museum,” not only does one expect to see beautiful architecture, but also those who expect to find many interesting things on display inside are perhaps not few. An art museum is a sort of special cultural institution that exists to present various types of culture and history to the public, and it is also the pride of the country and the town. I myself often visit museums in my country of Vietnam, but I had never before seen an air balloon museum such as this one. After traveling around, I always find myself having new experiences and gaining new knowledge, and I also learn about many new things, and this time I had a genuine feeling of this as well. I hope that all of you will have the chance to visit the Saga Balloon Museum.