Hi everyone! Wanted to ask for some recommendations for hot air balloon experience in Kanto area. I have heard of one in Saitama (2h (for 15,000) and in Hakuba (5mins for 3,000). Is there anyone who has tried either one of them? Or any other spot would also be good!
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( I know nothing about hot air balloons) but are you saying $15,000 for a 2 hour ride?
Edit.
Just realized it must be in yen. Which is only 142.00 US. Derrppp to me
I’ve never done either in Japan, but as a hot air balloonist, the 3000 yen one is almost certainly “tethered” where you go up in the air maybe 25-40 feet or so.
The 15,000 yen ride is going to be untethered where you actually get a real flight. So, if you’re nervous/scared, maybe just do the tether, but if you want an amazing experience, spend the money on an actual flight. It’s incredible seeing the world from a basket in the sky. 🙂
Hows your hunt going? Have you found any other websites/photos that are helpful, would love to know. I’m getting to itch to plan a trip to Japan after all of this chaos has settled down a little bit!
There is a really cheap hot air balloon ride once a month in Tokorozawa, Saitama. You have to book in advance currently due to the pandemic, but they only open the booking a month before the ride of the date. Its 2000 yen for adults. Here’s the event information in English, its updated monthly: [https://insaitama.com/event/hot-air-balloon-ride-tokorozawa/](https://insaitama.com/event/hot-air-balloon-ride-tokorozawa/)
The hot air balloon ride is in a lovely park with an air museum. And Tokorozawa is a really great place to visit with dozens of things to do. For example, it has the only outdoor permanent TeamLab exhibition, newly opened in August:
[https://insaitama.com/teamlab-acorn-forest/](https://insaitama.com/teamlab-acorn-forest/)
And there is a stunning book, manga and culture museum also newly opened. Not to mention you can visit the Kurosuke House and the Totoro forests. And there is an amusement park that will hopefully reopen early 2021 (closing for a few months for renovations) and so much more!! All of these are in the blog linked above.