The Ikazaki Kite Museum in Uchiko has a collection of approximately 400 kites from Japan and around the world, from 200-meter-long dragon kites to tiny kites the size of a pea. Among the colorful displays are examples of kenkadako, the “fighting kites” that are used at the Ikazaki Kite Battle Festival held in May. Hundreds of kites equipped with blades are flown to cut the strings of other kites in the annual event that dates from the seventeenth century.

The museum holds kite-making workshops and also has a free kite rental service. Build your own kite or borrow one to fly on the banks of the nearby Oda River.