To be honest, Ferris wheels aren’t really our thing.
Even though the Singapore Flyer, one of the tallest in the world, is just a short train ride away, we still haven’t taken it. So, it was ironic that we were even thinking about riding the Tempozan Ferris wheel.
We had completed one circuit at the Osaka Kaiyukan, and just finished lunch at the Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho food hall next door.
There was still some time to spare before heading back in for a second round, in order to catch the whale shark feeding session at 3:00pm.
The shops at the Tempozan Marketplace weren’t particularly interesting, and after browsing for a while, we ended up at the foot of the Ferris wheel.
It didn’t seem especially tall when we used it as a landmark to find the Kaiyukan. But looking up from the base of the structure, it did seem quite impressive.
According to Bing Copilot, it stands at 112 metres and is equivalent to 42 stories of a typical HDB flat. Putting it into perspective, it’s almost double the height of the building we live in.
Taking it all the way up in a small glass-enclosed box did sound kinda scary.
Since we were already there, I figured “why not?” and bought two tickets for ¥1,800. They weren’t cheap, but making sure that a huge mechanical structure runs safely and smoothly has to be quite costly.
One full revolution was estimated to take 20 to 25 minutes, and there were two queues to board the cabins. One for cabins with a transparent bottom, and the other for cabins with a regular floor.
As long time members of the Scooby Doo club, we joined the line for non-thrill seekers. To be precise, we didn’t need to line up, because everyone else was waiting to get into the more exciting cabins.
A sticker on the wall outlined the various landmarks that would be visible once sufficient height was attained.
Including Universal Studios Japan, Tempozan Ohashi Bridge, Kyocera Dome and even the Abeno Harukas skyscraper more than 7 kilometres away.
The beginning part of the ride was innocent enough, with a bird’s eye view of the Kaiyukan building and the port infrastructure across the water.
As we started ascending, Abeno Harukas was indeed visible. Though I had to squint a little to make it out from the far horizon.
When we were staying there on the 55th floor of the Marriott Miyako many years ago, I don’t recall being able to see the Tempozan Ferris wheel. Perhaps our room wasn’t facing in the direction of the Osaka harbour.
As we approached the apex, it started drizzling. And for some reason, the Ferris wheel stopped moving for quite some time. We would have been concerned if we hadn’t read the warning earlier.
The cabin started swaying from the wind, freaking out The Wife slightly. I was still able to tentatively snap photos of the scenery, but she was busy clutching the handrails on the bench with both hands.
Her gaze was mostly fixed downwards, further reinforcing our wise decision not to choose a cabin with a transparent floor.
Thankfully, it didn’t last too long and the wheel started turning again. The closer we got to the end of the ride, the more relaxed The Wife’s body language became.
Around the 22 minute mark, we returned to where we started, and disembarked safely.
My original plan was to also check out the famous red Ferris wheel on top of the HEP FIVE shopping mall in Umeda. It’s about the same height, and I had penciled it in for the next day.
As you can already guess, that idea was quickly dismissed. Together with any thoughts about taking the Singapore Flyer back home.
Like I mentioned earlier, Ferris wheels aren’t our thing. And this short ride only served to confirm it.
