Iruma Air Show 2026: Nov 3, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., Free Entry, Blue Impulse & How to Get There

The Iruma Air Show 2026 takes place on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (Culture Day, a national holiday), from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at JASDF Iruma Air Base in Sayama, Saitama. Gates open at 8:00 a.m., admission is free, and anyone can attend. The base's official page lists these hours and says entry is free and open to everyone, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) event calendar lists the November 3 Iruma show as a "Blue Impulse air show" (checked 2026-10-14).

What is not out yet is the programme. As of 2026-10-14 the base says the event content, including the flying display order and the Blue Impulse time, "will be announced once decided." Below we keep the confirmed 2026 facts apart from what happened last year (2025), so you can plan now and adjust later.

The biggest change from last year is the closing time. In 2025 the show ran from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; in 2026 it runs until 3:00 p.m., two hours longer.

Official page (Japanese): Iruma Air Show, fiscal 2026 (JASDF Iruma Air Base)

Iruma Air Show 2026 at a glance

What time does Blue Impulse fly?

The 2026 Blue Impulse display time has not been announced yet (Iruma Air Base: event content "will be announced once decided," checked 2026-10-14). The JASDF event calendar does list the November 3 Iruma show as a Blue Impulse air show, so the team is scheduled to appear.

Last year, Blue Impulse took off at about 11:00 a.m., according to Aviation Wire (September 26, 2025) and Tetsudo Channel (October 29, 2025). The base's own aircraft flew their display from 9:30 to 10:40 a.m. (Aviation Wire), and Blue Impulse followed. Because the 2026 show closes two hours later, do not assume the timing will be the same. Wait for the official programme before fixing your plans around one flight.

The JASDF notes that flying displays "may be cancelled due to weather or other reasons and will not be postponed." Last year's official FAQ said the show goes ahead in light rain but some events may change with the weather, and that the base website and social media would confirm on the day whether it was on.

Getting there: take the train (no visitor parking last year)

• By train: last year's official FAQ named two nearest stations: Inariyama-koen Station (Seibu Ikebukuro Line) and Sayamashi Station (Seibu Shinjuku Line). Visitors could enter through the Main Gate (Sainomori Iruma Park side), the Inariyama Gate (Inariyama Park side), the North Gate and the Sayama City Hall Gate; the City Hall Gate was about a 10-minute walk from Sayamashi Station.
• Crowds at Inariyama-koen: last year Seibu Railway warned that between 8 and 10 a.m. it could take up to 60 minutes to get from the station to the main area, and strongly recommended arriving via Sayamashi Station instead. The Ikebukuro Line ran a special timetable from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (reported by Tetsudo Channel, October 30, 2025). The 2026 train plan has not been announced.
• By car: last year's official FAQ said plainly that there is no parking, and asked people not to be dropped off by car near the base. Last year the road from Inariyama-koen Station's south exit to the traffic light before Sayama Police Station was closed to vehicles from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Special parking through Iruma City's furusato nozei (hometown tax donation): Iruma City offers parking passes at schools and a former civic hall near the base as a thank-you gift for a donation (table below). Light and standard passenger cars only; the lots are open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day. Donations close at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, or earlier if the spaces sell out. The city says donations are not refunded for any reason, even if the air show is cancelled, and the lots have no toilets.

Source: Iruma City, "Iruma Air Show special parking, fiscal 2026" (Japanese; checked 2026-10-14).

For visitors who need to come by car because of a wheelchair or similar reasons, the base took applications from September 11 to October 12, 2026. Applications are now closed; places are decided by lottery and only winners will be contacted.

What to bring and the site rules (last year's official FAQ)

The 2026 rules have not been published, so these are from last year's official FAQ:

• Not allowed: stepladders (held at the gates), tripods, monopods and selfie sticks, small tents, and alcohol. Pets are not allowed, except guide dogs and other assistance dogs.
• Ground sheets and folding chairs cannot be used in the Main Area or the Runway View Area (you may bring a chair). Strollers are not restricted.
• There is no baggage storage, and buildings outside the open area are off limits (use the temporary toilets).
• Food trucks and stalls sell snacks, but no alcohol is sold.

About 260,000 people came last year (figure from Iruma Air Base, reported by Aviation Wire, November 4, 2025). Last year Seibu Railway expected Inariyama-koen Station to be especially crowded from 8 to 10 a.m. (Tetsudo Channel, October 30, 2025), so leave early or plan to walk in from the Sayamashi Station side.

More in Saitama and for autumn

For another big autumn festival on the Seibu lines in Saitama, see Kawagoe Matsuri. If you are planning a November trip around the leaves, our Autumn Foliage 2026 guide covers when and where.

Sources (checked 2026-10-14)

• JASDF Iruma Air Base, "Iruma Air Show, fiscal 2026" (Japanese): https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/iruma/kouhou/public_airshow/index.html
• JASDF event schedule (Japanese): https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/event/
• JASDF Iruma Air Base, vehicle access for wheelchair users (Japanese): https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/iruma/kouhou/public_airshow/indexsin.html
• Iruma City, special parking for the Iruma Air Show (Japanese): https://www.city.iruma.saitama.jp/soshiki/kikakukamiraikyososeisakusuisinsitsu/Hurusatonozei/13968.html
• JASDF Iruma Air Base, FAQ for the fiscal 2025 show (last year; Japanese): https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/iruma/kouhou/public_airshow/FAQ.html
• Tetsudo Channel, air show schedule for autumn 2026 (August 15, 2026): https://tetsudo-ch.com/13035054.html
• Last year's times and attendance: Aviation Wire https://www.aviationwire.jp/?p=331170 and https://www.aviationwire.jp/?p=333082; Tetsudo Channel https://tetsudo-ch.com/13015079.html and https://tetsudo-ch.com/13014444.html

Update log: 2026-10-14 — published with the base's fiscal 2026 date and hours (November 3, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., free) and Iruma City's special parking. The flying programme and Blue Impulse time will be added when announced.