Photo/Illutration An artist's rendition of hot-air balloons in the vicinity of ancient burial mounds in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture (Provided by the Sakai city government)

SAKAI, Osaka Prefecture--Although it is impossible to gauge the extent of ancient burial mounds here from the ground, tourists may now be able to view the site from balloons.

Of particular interest is the Daisen burial tumulus that is thought to be the final resting place of fifth-century Emperor Nintoku. It is the biggest such memorial of its kind in Japan.

Local authorities are planning year-long balloon rides on a trial basis to judge whether the activity could prove damaging to the environment in any way.

The keyhole-shaped moated Daisen mound is part of a cluster of "kofun" sites designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

The mayor of Sakai, Hideki Nagafuji, became a strong backer of the project after he took office last June. However, local authorities decided to proceed cautiously after experts raised objections, citing impact the project might have on the landscape.

Officials briefed the experts at a meeting held last Dec. 17 on trial plans for balloon rides over burial mounds in the Mozu and Furuichi areas and won them over, sources said. They are now scheduling explanatory meetings with residents living near the sites.

Noting that it will take about six months to set up sites to send balloons aloft and train staff, officials said trial rides will probably not start before this summer at the earliest.

A plot of land at least 60 meters in diameter is necessary to launch balloons, and an ideal candidate site is where the prefectural Osaka Women's University was once located. The site lies just west of the Daisen mound.

The size of the main burial mounds in the Mozu and Furuichi areas, including the Daisen mound, the largest in Japan at 486 meters long, makes it impossible to grasp the extent of the complex at ground level.

In July 2019, when the mounds were approved for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage list, Nagafuji floated his plan to introduce balloon rides so the Daisen mound could be viewed from above.

But members of the Japanese expert panel who were instrumental in gaining heritage listing for the kofun cluster objected. They were concerned about balloons obscuring views from the trail around the mound and called for more thorough research on the issue.

As a result, local authorities decided to offer balloon rides on a trial basis for just one year.

The former site of Osaka Women's University was a candidate location for an observation facility for the mound, but that plan was scrapped by the mayor. The structure is now located outside the trail circling the Daisen mound.

Officials plan to offer rides in helium balloons that float between 100 and 150 meters above ground for about 2,000 yen ($18.20) per person. 

But as no company in Japan offers balloon rides on steady basis, questions have been raised about profitability.

The trial run will allow officials to examine the project's potential as a tourism resource and gauge the reaction from users, as well as assess the impact on the landscape and living environments around the site.

According to the officials, initial expenses for the project will come to about 230 million yen, which will include developing a lift-off site, and 40 million yen in annual operating costs. They plan, in principle, to seek funding for the project from the private sector.

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