Balloon Bomb - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Figure 12. Great numbers of Japanese high-school girls
were used in the delicate work of pasting and stitching
the balloon envelope.
Music Hall and the Toho Theater in Tokyo, and
Kokugi-Kan Wrestling Hall in the Tokyo borough of
Asakusa were used.
For the test, the balloon was filled with air blown
into it at a pressure of 120 meters of water column, after
which it was sealed. After twenty-four hours, it was
checked for leakage. Those that were satisfactory were
then coated with a protective lacquer.
The earlier paper balloons were made in factories, but
when the demand reached its peak, the factories
processed the paper and made the majority of the
panels. The panels were then sent to subcontractors who
assembled the finished product.
Figure 13. Large arenas and theaters were used for balloon production and inflation
testing. One building was the Nichigeki Music Hall, a familiar modem-day landmark in
downtown Tokyo.
15