A look around Japan for the best places to see the country from up and above.

There’s a bit of irony in that sometimes Japan’s supposedly best views are also its most crowded views, which can actually make them some of the country’s worst views unless you’re really, really into looking at the back of people’s heads. So oftentimes the best plan is to search for someplace where not only is the scenery beautiful, but you can also get a good vantage point where you’re up above the crowds, and some of the best places to find that combination is on Japan’s Ferris wheels.

Japan actually has quite a few Ferris wheels, and they tend to make more leisurely rotations than their counterparts in the west, since the focus is more on creating a relaxing atmosphere and letting riders enjoy the view than creating a sensation of speedy motion. But which Ferris wheels are the best in Japan? To answer that question, Japanese travel portal Jalan polled 1,040 of its website’s users, and compiled the results into this ranking of the top 10.

10. Hokkaido Green Land Giant Ferris Wheel (Iwamizawa, Hokkaido)
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A lot of things in Japan are compactly designed, but the country goes big with its Ferris wheels, like this 85-meter (278.9-foot) example inside the Hokkaido Greenland amusement park in the town of Iwamizawa. That “Green Land” name is well-deserved, too, as from the gondolas you can look out over the lush Ishikari Plain and River.

9. Expocity Osaka Wheel (Suita, Osaka)
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The Osaka Wheel isn’t just the tallest Ferris wheel on the top-10 list, it’s the tallest one in all of Japan. You’ll be able to really feel that sense of height, too, since all of the gondolas’ floor are see-through, letting you look 123 meters straight down as you go past the zenith and also making it feel like you’re flying through the air thanks to the unobstructed sightlines. The Osaka Wheel is located next to Bampaku Kinen Koen Station, near Expo Commemoration Park, the venue for Osaka’s previous (but not current) world’s fair, and hopefully it’ll bring back its kotatsu and sake service this winter.

8. Fuji-Q Highland Shining Flower (Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi)
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This 50-meer wheel is located inside the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, the densest concentration of roller coasters, haunted houses, and other heart-pounding attractions in the extended Tokyo area. As such, it’s one of the more relaxing rides in the park, offering views of Mt. Fuji on clear days from its gondolas, some of which have see-through floors and one, visible in the above photo, that’s fashioned like a jail cell.

6 (tie). Nagoya Port Sea Train Land Giant Ferris Wheel (Nagoya, Aichi)
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We’re back to the self-proclaimed giants with this 85-meter wheel. In the day, the view southwest lets you peer out at Nagoya’s port and off to Ise Bay that wraps around into neighboring Mie Prefecture, and if you time your ride for sunset you’ll get to watch as the lights of Japan’s fourth-largest city come on too.

6 (tie). Expasa Fuji (Agari) Giant Ferris Wheel Fuji Sky View (Fuji, Shizuoka)
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Japanese highway rest stops are attractions unto themselves for road-trippers, offering delicious food and other looks at local culture. This one, though, on the agari (heading towards Tokyo) route of the expressway, is especially worth pulling over at, thanks to its 60-meter Ferris wheel with unobstructed views of Mt. Fuji and Suruga Bay.

5. Awaji Service Area (Sagari) Giant Ferris Wheel (Awaji, Hyogo)
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Another expressway rest stop Ferris wheel, this one on the sagari (heading away from Tokyo) side of the road. Awaji’s is even bigger than Expasa Fuji’s, 65 meters, and tall enough to give you a view across the Akashi Strait of the Seto Inland Sea and past the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge over to the island of Shikoku.

4. Kasai Rinkai Park Daimond and Flower Ferris Wheel (Tokyo)
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Tokyo may have lost the Odaiba neighborhood’s Giant Sky Wheel, the last vestige of the even more quickly closed-down Neo Geo World amusement park, a few years ago, but it still boasts the opulently named 117-meter Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel. Situated east of the city center inside one of the area’s most spacious public parks, the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel offers views of Tokyo Bay and landmarks such as the Rainbow Bridge, the Tokyo Skytree, and, when the weather is cooperating, all the way over in Yamanashi Prefecture, even Mt. Fuji.

3. Tempozan Harbor Village Giant Ferris Wheel (Osaka City, Osaka)
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We return to Osaka Prefecture, this time to Osaka City, for this 112.5-meter wheel. Standing across the canal from Universal Studios Japan, it offers both city and bay views, with Hyogo Prefecture’s Mt. Rokko and the Akashi Strait visible in the distance (though it’s not clear if you can spot the Awaji Service Area’s Ferris wheel from here too).

2. Kobe Harborland Umie Mosaic Giant Ferris Wheel (Kobe, Hyogo)
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At 50 meters tall, it’s a bit of a stretch to call this one a “giant,” but it does have a very nice location at the end of Mosaic, a Kobe Port entertainment pier, and it’s still tall enough to let riders appreciate Mt. Rokko and the city lights.

1. Yokohama Cosmo World Cosmo Clock 21 (Yokohama, Kanagawa)

You’ll never hear locals use the “21” part of its name, but the Cosmo Clock remains one of the most beloved and beautiful symbols of the city of Yokohama. Situated in the harborfront neighborhood of Minato Mirai (technically Minato Mirai 21, but again, no one uses the “21” part), the 112.5-meter Cosmo Clock is indeed a clock, and even has a second hand of sorts, with the tip of one of its 60 spokes lighting up every second.

Minato Mirai has some of Japan’s most impressive modern architecture, from the 70-floor Landmark Tower to the cascading trio of Queen’s Square buildings and the Intercontinental Hotel, shaped like a sailboat, and there’s also the expansive waters of the bay and the picturesque Bay Bride to admire too, and at the base of the Ferris wheel is the Cosmo World amusement park with thrill rides, mazes, haunted houses, and carnival games. Add it all up, and the Cosmo Clock is the survey’s top Ferris wheel pick, even without factoring in the awesome fact that it’s also been the world’s largest Poké Ball.

Source: Jalan, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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