The second step in my Kansai trip was a big wheel close to Osakako subway station. Opened in 1997, it’s 112.5 meters (369 ft) high and has a diameter of 100 meters (330 ft). It was the World’s tallest ferris wheel until 1999. The ride gives a great view for Osaka, including the bay, Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, Kansai International Airport (that’s where I came from!) and, if the weather is nice, also Mt. Ikoma!

The view from the top is amazing and let one see all the landmarks around. The ride itself is 15-17 minutes, but the wheel makes a short stop in its spinning, so that each carriage has a short moment on top to enjoy the view. 

That's not Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, but it looks nice too ;)

An interesting thing are the carriages themselves. A few of them are a special type: all see-through, that let one see not only through windows in walls, but all around, since the carriage was made of mostly glass! There are two queues to get on the wheel: one for normal carriage and one for special ones. Both queues have a sign saying how long the wait would be: of course it’s much longer for the see-through carriages.

Carriages

Stickers inside carriages naming landmarks

What’s best in this big wheel, apart from the view, is the illumination: it’s constantly changing colours and appearance: sometimes it’s one colour, sometimes it’s spinning colours or even drawings or text messages!




There’s also a few nice places to see right next to the wheel, as listed below.

Square next to the big wheel

Close by

Legoland

Soft cream with bluberry syrup

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