Hikiyama Exhibition Hall — Year-Round Festival Float Museum

**Float maintenance access:** Once annually (October, in preparation for the November festival), the hall is closed to public as maintenance teams prepare the floats — re-lacquering, adding new metalwork, checking frame joints. Occasional public viewing days (hana-matsuri) are announced on the Karatsu tourism website — attendance gives unique access to the restoration process. **Scale comprehension:** The Red Lion float stands 7 meters — taller than a double-decker bus. Viewing it at 1 meter distance, then stepping back to full view distance, creates a scale shift that photographs cannot convey. Allow 30 minutes minimum in the hall.