Saga Balloon Fiesta 2017

It is the time for balloons!
Saga International Balloon Fiesta 2017 will be held in Saga City from this Wednesday, November 1 for five days.

I believe many are looking forward to beautiful hot air balloons in the sky but if you would like to enjoy a bit more of Saga's local charm, Karatsu Kunchi Festival in Karatsu City from Thursday, November 2 to Saturday, November 4 can be your choice.

It is a festival of the Karatsu Shrine which started in the 17th century. In the festival 14 floats decorated with samurai armor, lions and fish etc. go around the city. All the floats gather at Otabisho on West Beach on November 3 as its climax.

Karatsu City is not so far from Saga City and can go by train easily. Though trains will be crowded, I strongly recommend using trains because they are fast without traffic jams.

Here is my suggested itinerary on November 3 by JR Kyusyu train:

Saga Station 6:40 →　Balloon Saga Station 6:48   (210 yen)
 *Competition starts at 7:00 am.
 *There will be so many visitors. The earlier, the better.
 *Food stands are open for breakfast.

Balloon Saga Station  9:46 →　Karatsu Station 10:40 (940 yen)
*Floats depart at 9:30 am.
*City Hall is a spot you can see floats going around, about 15 minute walk from the station.
*Otabisho on West Beach may be too crowded for you to watch the floats.
*Karatsu is famous for squid which you might want to try for lunch.
*The festival is an important ritual for local people, so some shops and restaurants may be closed.
*Tourist Information Desk is in the station for further information.
*Karatsu Castle is another tourist attraction (500 yen).

Karatsu Station 1:47pm →　Saga Station 3:00 pm (1110 yen)
*If you want to visit the castle, get on later trains.

It is going to be a long day but you can enjoy two of the big events in Saga in one day.

I am a nationally licensed guide and if you would like to use my guiding,
please email me from this page. I will give you more detail.

Due to a national holiday, Culture Day, on November 3, the next blog entry will be in two weeks.
Thank you for reading :)