Blue skies, a shining sun, and gentle but steady wind gusts set the stage for a perfect day for flying kites at Sagamihara, Japan, this May 4th, 2023.

The occasion? The Oodako matsuri, or Giant Kite festival, is held annually along the Sagamihara riverbank near Camp Zama, every year on Greenery, and Children’s Day (May 4th and 5th, respectively) – a part of Japan’s ‘Golden Week,’ a string of holidays lasting from May 1st to May 7th.

This was the first time in over three years that the festival was able to take place, a pause in the festivities due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Consequently, the theme for this year’s festival was 勝風(shoufu), or unyielding spirit.

Over two days, Zama City and Sagamihara City fight for aerial supremacy using massive kites spanning several yards in size, some weighing over one ton in weight, to see whose sky-flying canvas can stay in the air longer.

The kites are assembled from bamboo shoots, harvested from a small forest in Camp Zama, with the body being handmade paper, processed locally.

Rodney Plant, the Property Book Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Japan Engineer District (USACE JED), and frequent kite flyer who holds a degree in aeronautics, weighed in with what kind of science and manpower necessary to get these massive Japanese kites off the ground.

“Kites, regardless of their size, are like the wings on an airplane or the rotary wings of a helicopter,” Plant explained. “Kites are shaped and angled so that the air moving over the top moves faster than the air moving over the bottom. The result is lift.”

Among one of the kites flown during this week’s festival, a monstrous 48-foot-wide behemoth attempted to take flight. With something of that size and weight, ‘how could that possibly fly?’ you might be asking.

“[Obviously] the windier it is, the easier it is to launch,” offered Plant. “But to get a kite of that size up, it would require a vehicle of some sort.”

Impressively, teams composed of between 80 and 100 people work together to battle the forces of nature with the assistance of a 650-foot-long rope, to wrangle the kite into staying aloft – no vehicles are used for leverage in the flying process.

Cajoled and encouraged by a nearby emcee via weather updates and a little bit of snark, the teams and crowd are emboldened to shout words of support for their cities’ kite fliers.

“Although the weather is perfect for being outside, I don’t think the wind is strong enough,” offered a festivalgoer. “We came a long way to see these kites fly, so it would be nice to see something take flight.” He and his family made the trek to Sagamihara from the Yamanashi prefecture to view kite-flying during their Golden Week vacation.

Despite the wind sitting at a fairly weak 2.6 knots (4 kph), Zama City’s kite, manned by a local fire department’s firefighters, was able to stay aloft for nearly 8 minutes throughout three attempts.

But while the main attraction is getting to see the teamwork and effort made by both cities to fly their kites as long as possible, there is something for everyone to enjoy throughout the two days of celebration.

Held at the Shindo sports park, the venue offers enough space to not only fly massive kites, but also to host numerous food stalls, booths for games, and even a small sumo wrestling arena.

Approximately 100 food vendors, each serving unique Japanese festival food, like yakitori (grilled chicken on a skewer), chocolate-covered bananas, and okonomiyaki (a savory, heavy, meat and cabbage-topped pancake) are among some of the hot-sellers.

Because of the festival’s short runtime of only two days, and being subject to the weather, a successful flight is not always guaranteed, but what is, is a fantastic opportunity to take part in a long-standing Japanese tradition and explore what the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer.

“Festivals are a great place to socialize and learn about Japanese culture,” said Plant, who has been traveling back and forth to Japan since 2012. “I suggest anyone, [especially in our offices at JED] to attend local festivals. There is always something going on in Japan.”

Photo Caption: A large kite, supported by over 50 members of a local Zama City fire department, takes flight during the Sagamihara ‘Giant Kite festival’ May 4th, 2023. Held traditionally since the early 1800s, coinciding with the ‘Golden Week’ holidays of Greenery Day and Children’s Day, the festival pits Zama and Sagamihara cities against each other as each team tries to hoist their massive kite into the air for the longest possible time. These kites, sometimes spanning a whopping 48-feet-wide and weighing almost one ton, require the help of several dozens of people and a support line totaling 650-feet in length. Photo by Patrick Ciccarone.