Hot air balloon competition at Saga International Balloon Fiesta

Karatsu Kunchi is a noisy, crowded, exciting and beautiful event that takes place in Karatsu (Saga prefecture) in early November over the course of 3 days.

My first visit to Saga prefecture. I went to see the Karatsu Kunchi festival (in Karatsu) and Saga International Balloon Fiesta (in Saga) which is a world class hot air balloon competition. This is the account of my first, unsuccessful attempt to catch the Saga balloons.

These traditional kagura dances based on Japanese mythology are performed daily at Takachiho shrine.