Mooring experience
A balloon class where a pilot explains the history and mechanics of hot air balloons.
Experience the sensation of floating at an altitude of 20-30 meters in a hot air balloon tethered by ropes.
This is an approximately 3-hour experience where even infants as young as 0 years old can float in the air while remaining in a wheelchair.
Minimum of 4 participants required (reservations accepted for 1 person or more).
Early morning: 30 minutes before sunrise
Afternoon: Two hours before sunset (Available only from October to April of the following year)
The meeting time varies from day to day, as it is adjusted to coincide with sunrise and sunset.
Please note that while the reservation system may display a time, this may differ from the actual meeting time.
How to find out sunrise and sunset times
Please check the sunrise time for Saitama Prefecture on your reservation date at the National Astronomical Observatory's Calendar Calculation Office.
The approximate meeting times are 30 minutes before sunrise and 2 hours before sunset.
https://eco.mtk.nao.ac.jp/koyomi/dni/dni11.html
Please note that the meeting time may be changed depending on the weather on the day.
Please be sure to check the final meeting time in the confirmation email (winbal.club@gmail.com) that will be sent to you the day before the event.Skyfield Watarase Observation Deck (Ishikawa, Fujioka-machi, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture)
* Address search is not available. Please check the location using the link below.▸ View on Google Maps
Free parking is available.
Please park in the plaza in front of the observation deck and wait there.
■ For those arriving by carWith standard car navigation settings, you may be directed onto narrow roads.
It is safest to follow the route below.▸View recommended route map
▸Watch the actual route in a video (YouTube)Since the route will be taken during the dark hours of early morning, we recommend checking the schedule in advance.
■ For those arriving by public transportWe provide transportation from SOLABASE (1663-1 Onobukuro, Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture) to the experience location.
If you wish to participate, please apply by email (winbal.club@gmail.com) by the day before your scheduled experience.
■ Guests staying at SOLABASEWe will provide transportation to the experience location, so please wait in the courtyard.
This plan has the following conditions in place to ensure you can enjoy your hot air balloon experience safely.
• There is no age limit for the tethering experience (Balloon Workshop). • Children under 13 years old must be accompanied by a guardian. • Minors require parental consent.
Furthermore, to ensure the safety of participants, the following individuals will not be allowed to participate.
• People with high blood pressure
• Individuals with heart, spine, or neck conditions
• Individuals with symptoms such as epilepsy or hyperventilation
- Individuals under the influence of alcohol or drugs - Individuals whose symptoms may worsen as a result of the experience - Pregnant women or those who may be pregnant - Individuals whom the organizers deem unsafe on the day of the event* Passengers using wheelchairs or strollers may be allowed to board even if they do not meet the above criteria.
Please see below.
■ Those who need to consult or notify in advanceIf you have any pre-existing medical conditions or health concerns, please be sure to write them in the remarks section when you apply. We will check and discuss them with you in advance and provide guidance with safety in mind.
■ For those using wheelchairs or strollersBoarding in a barrier-free basket differs from regular boarding in terms of posture and physical strain.
Therefore, even if you meet the conditions marked with * above, you may still be allowed to board after we have reviewed your situation.
If this applies to you, please don't give up and contact us for a consultation.
When applying, please specify the total weight and dimensions of the wheelchair/stroller in the remarks section.
The barrier-free basket has internal dimensions of 120cm wide x 150cm deep x 110cm high, and a load capacity of up to 300kg.
You can board the aircraft even with medical equipment such as ventilators attached (the weight of the equipment is included in the 300kg load limit).
We ask that you consult with your doctor before boarding.
The final decision on whether or not to proceed will be made based on your physical condition and the weather conditions on the day.
■ If you are traveling with a pet• One owner must accompany each pet. • Please use a baby carrier or a short-leash harness. • The experience fee is charged per person, regardless of the type or size of pet.
■ Flight experience fee
12,900 yen per person (tax included)
Pets: 12,900 yen per animal (flat rate regardless of species or size)Children who are not yet able to walk on their own can ride for free if they are being held by a parent or guardian.
For safety reasons, please use a baby carrier when boarding.
■ What is included in the price
• Photography from the ground • Insurance • Guided tour using a barrier-free gondola (advance reservation required)
■ About Overweight Charges
For those weighing over 81kg, an additional 3,000 yen will be charged for every 10kg increase.
81-90kg: 3,000 yen; 91-100kg: 6,000 yen; 101-110kg: 9,000 yen
*Weight of wheelchairs and strollers is not included.
■Minimum number of participants: A total of 4 or more people are required for the tour to run.
We will determine eligibility based on the total number of people including other customers who have booked the same session. Therefore, even if you book for one person, the tour will proceed if the total number of people including other customers is four or more. Pets are also counted as one person.■ Payment Methods
Prepayment by credit card
■ Payment Process
1. Make a provisional reservation for your desired date from the reservation page.
2. Clicking the "Proceed to Reservation" button will take you to the payment page.
3. Please enter the required information and complete the payment.Please note that if payment is not completed within 12 hours of making a provisional booking, it will be automatically canceled.
If you are not redirected to the payment page, please contact us by email at contact@solabase.com.
[Clothing]
During the hot air balloon experience, you will participate as a member of the crew, from assembling the balloon to taking it down.
The landing and takeoff area is overgrown with weeds, so your clothes and shoes will get dirty with morning dew, mud, and burner soot.
Please come dressed in clothing suitable for hiking and other outdoor activities.
We recommend wearing waterproof shoes.
Because the grass is wet with morning dew, regular sneakers may get soaked through.
■ Clothing to avoid: ・White clothing (stains are very noticeable)
• Skirts and dresses (they can restrict movement when getting in and out of vehicles or during work).
- Sandals, heels (Please wear shoes that secure your heel and cover your entire foot.)For safety reasons, we reserve the right to refuse boarding to passengers wearing inappropriate attire.
■ Points to note for each season
Autumn/Winter
Temperatures can drop below freezing in the early morning. Please come prepared with warm clothing such as a down jacket, gloves, and a knit hat.Spring/Summer
If you are coming in short sleeves and shorts, please bring an outer or inner layer (arm covers are also acceptable). To protect yourself from insect bites from mosquitoes and horseflies, and from rashes caused by plants such as poison ivy, it is safest to wear clothing that minimizes skin exposure.■ Regarding the temperature at high altitude: It is almost the same as on the ground. Since we are not going to high altitudes like airplanes,
No special winter clothing is necessary. Please dress according to the temperature at ground level.
[What to bring]■ Work gloves (such as cotton work gloves)
You will be handling ropes when assembling and dismantling the balloon. Please be sure to bring one with you to prevent injuries during the work. If you forget, ropes are available for purchase on-site for 100 yen per set.■ Change of shoes and socks: They may get wet from morning dew or dirty with mud, so please bring them if needed.
Changing rooms are also available.■ Regarding luggage during boarding: You may only bring a small bag that leaves both hands free. Smartphones and cameras are permitted.
If you attach a strap to your smartphone or camera, you won't have to worry about dropping it.
You can enjoy taking photos with peace of mind.Always keep valuables such as your wallet and keys in a zippered pocket or bag.
If you drop it during the experience, it will get lost in the grass and be extremely difficult to find.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
From booking to the day of the event
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[1. Reservations and Payment]
Your reservation will be confirmed upon payment within 12 hours of booking.[2. Boarding Pledge]
Please complete this at least three days before your experience.
You can check and respond via the link in the email we send you after your reservation is complete.
If you do not agree to this, we may refuse your boarding.
▸Please review the terms of the agreement in advance (PDF)
[3. Information regarding the minimum number of participants]
The mooring experience requires a minimum of 4 participants.
If the number of participants is insufficient, we will notify you by email approximately one week before the scheduled date of the experience.
If the minimum number of participants is not reached, we will notify you of the cancellation by email at least two days before the scheduled date.[4. Notification of Implementation Decision]
The final decision on whether to proceed will be made around 12-13:00 the day before, and you will be notified by email (winbal.club@gmail.com).* Please configure your email settings in advance to allow emails from winbal.club@gmail.com.
Please be sure to check the meeting time, meeting place, dress code, and required items in this email.
The meeting time varies depending on the day.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
On the day of the experience (approximately 3 hours)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[Meeting Point] Please park your car at the observation deck of Skyfield Watarase and wait there.
Look for the blue spiral staircase.
* There are "vehicle barriers" that narrow the width of vehicles within the Watarase Floodplain.
If you are unsure about driving, please check out the relatively wider alternative routes.
▸ View recommended route map
* You will not be able to use the restroom during the activity. Please be sure to use the restroom before meeting up.
[Move to the experience venue]When it's time, our crew will guide you to the experience venue, Sky Field Watarase.
【orientation】
Once everyone has arrived, the pilot will give an orientation.
[Preparation and Hot Air Balloon Class]
While assembling the balloon, the pilot will explain the history and mechanics of hot air balloons.
Tethered balloon experiences offer more detailed explanations about hot air balloons than free flight experiences, and we also provide many photogenic opportunities.
The only thing you can do inside the inflated balloon is the mooring experience.
[Floating Experience]
Before boarding, the pilot will explain important points regarding the flight and landing.
Enjoy a floating experience at a height of approximately 20-30 meters for about 10-15 minutes.
You can also experience being a pilot while floating.From the ground, the crew will take photos and videos of the experience.
[Landing and Recovery]
After landing, everyone will help deflate and put away the balloon.
It's a bit of hard work, but it's a sight you don't get to experience very often.
The experience will end once all the equipment has been collected.
■ Action camera rental: 4,900 yen (first 2 people)
We will lend you an action camera capable of 4K 360-degree shooting during your experience.
You are free to take photos yourself, and we will send you the unedited data by email within two days of your experience.* In the event of malfunction or damage caused by customer use, you may be responsible for the repair costs.
Shooting sample
■ Drone photography: 14,900 yen (first come, first served, 1 unit available)
The staff will film the preparation process as well as the flight itself.
You'll have a lasting memory of your loved one floating in the sky, a photo you wouldn't be able to take yourself.
We will send you the unedited data by email within two days of your experience.
* Due to drone flight restrictions, filming during flight will be limited to approximately 5-10 minutes from takeoff. This may vary depending on wind conditions.* Audio recording is not permitted.
▸See sample photos (Instagram)Conditions vary depending on how you made your reservation.
■ Reservations can be made through the SOLABASE official website.- Cancellation due to weather/minimum number of participants: No refunds (rebooking is possible any number of times within one year)
- Customer-initiated changes: No refunds. - Date and number of participants changes: Possible up to 3 days in advance / No additional charge.
■ Reservations made through partner booking sites (Activity Japan, Asoview, Jalan)- Cancellation due to weather/minimum number of participants: Full refund - Cancellation due to customer's reasons: No refund - Changes to date or number of participants: Possible up to 3 days in advance / Additional fees may apply
■ Regarding reservations made through the official website (details)
Exceptional Refunds: Full refunds will only be issued if the tour is canceled due to weather or due to not meeting the minimum number of participants four times in a row within a year.
• Re-booking validity period: One year from the date of the initial scheduled experience. After one year, the right will expire and no refunds will be given.
■ Changes to the schedule and number of participantsPlease contact us by email (winbal.club@gmail.com) at least three days before your scheduled experience date. Changes cannot be accepted after three days prior to the scheduled date, and a 100% cancellation fee will apply.
■ Matters common to bothIf the event is canceled after you have met at the designated location, we will not be able to compensate you for travel or accommodation expenses.
If rail or air travel becomes free of charge on the day of or the day before departure due to a natural disaster, or if you are unable to reach your destination due to the closure of expressways or major national roads, the cancellation fee will be waived.
■ Criteria for determining whether to proceed and whether to cancelThe final decision will be made around 12-13:00 the day before and will be sent via email (winbal.club@gmail.com). If you require an earlier decision, please contact us by email in advance.
[Cancelled due to weather]The event will be canceled for safety reasons in case of rain, snow, fog, or strong winds exceeding 3 m/s.
[Cancelled due to insufficient number of participants]
The minimum number of participants required for the tour to run is 4.
If there are insufficient participants one week before the scheduled experience date, we will notify you by email.
If there are fewer than 4 participants three days before the scheduled date, the event will be cancelled.