Osaka Sightseeing Balloon Offers Panorama of Ancient Tomb

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:53 JST, October 4, 2025

SAKAI — Visitors to the country’s largest keyhole-shaped burial mound, the Daisen Kofun, can now view it from sightseeing balloons starting this month in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture.

Sakai developed the project as a potential catalyst for tourism and has been preparing for its launch following the inscription of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (ancient tumulus cluster) to the UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2019. Daisen Kofun, the mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku, is the centerpiece of the mounds.

Ahead of the start of operations, Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura and Mayor Hideki Nagafuji took part in a commemorative flight on Friday. “You can enjoy a full 360-degree panorama,” Nagafuji said. “As the ground grew more distant, I felt a sense of excitement.”

Yoshimura said, “I had only ever seen it in textbooks, but I was deeply moved by the scale of the tumulus and the depth of its history,” and added that he hoped people from around the world can experience this.

Representatives connected to overseas pavilions of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo were also invited. “It was a special experience to see a World Heritage site from the sky,” said Shifa Zghoul, acting government representative for the Jordan Pavilion. “It made me want to learn more deeply about history.”

Although the first day of services was scheduled for Saturday, flights were canceled all day due to poor weather conditions.