Ferris Wheels of the Tokyo Area

Jan 30, 2023

Ferris Wheels of the Tokyo Area

Ferris wheels aren’t the first thing that comes to someone’s mind about Japan unless you visit here and notice how many of them seem to exist. Almost every large city here seems to boast one Ferris wheel attraction somewhere nearby. While most Ferris wheels here don’t rise to the level of fame as the London Eye or other Ferris wheels that top the ever-changing list of the tallest Ferris wheels in the world, there are still several in the Tokyo area worth visiting. In addition to often being near tourist attractions, they also offer impressive views of the metropolis. With the number of Ferris wheels on this list, you will have a chance to see Tokyo from multiple angles. Sadly, our list is missing the Daikanransha in Odaiba, which closed in 2022 and inspired this article. That spectacular Ferris wheel was the largest in the world when it opened in 1999 and had the most amazing views of Odaiba, Tokyo Bay, and Minato City. Hopefully, something even better will come to replace it, but until then, we’ll have to enjoy the ride at some of these other fantastic options. 

Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel – Kasai

At 117 meters tall, the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel is the largest on the list and one of my favorites since I always hang out at Kasai Rinkai Park. This Ferris wheel was built in 2001 and is located in the aforementioned Kasai Rinkai Park, which is accessible on the JR Keiyo Line. This is the largest Ferris wheel on the list and was the second largest in the world when it was originally built. The ride is 17 minutes and offers stunning views of Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Bay, the Boso Peninsula, Chiba, and central Tokyo. As a bonus, it is right next to the Tokyo Sealife Park Aquarium so that you can do both attractions on the same day with a nice lunch at the fields between the two attractions. You even get a 10% discount if you bring your ticket from the aquarium to the ticket office for the Ferris wheel. 

Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel

Kasai Rinkai Park 6-2 Rinkaicho, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo
03-3686-6911
Website: http://www.senyo.co.jp/kasai/index.htm
Admission: General admission for ages 3 and up is 800 yen. Seniors over 70 years old have a special price of 400 yen. 

Big O – Tokyo Dome

The Big O isn’t the largest Ferris wheel on our list, but don’t let that lull you into thinking it isn’t special. At 60 meters high, this was the first centerless Ferris wheel in the world. Being centerless means that instead of rotating and being supported from the center of the wheel, it sits in a cradle that supports and turns it. Pretty neat concept. They also used all that vacant real estate to allow the nearby roller coaster, the Thunder Dolphin, to pass through the center. The ride is 15 minutes and offers great views of the metropolis. If all that isn’t enough, they even have karaoke machines built into some of the gondolas so you can have a little party if you somehow manage to get bored with the engineering, views, and speeding roller coaster passing by. 

Big O Ferris wheel

Tokyo Dome City, 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo City, Tokyo
03-3817-6001
https://at-raku.com/attractions/laqua/big-o/
Admission: General admission of 850 yen

Cosmo Clock 21 – Yokohama

Cosmo Clock 21 is, as suggested by the name, also a massive clock located at Minato Mirai in Yokohama. It’s very hard to miss as it is one of Yokohama’s most distinctive landmarks. Originally built in 1989, this was the largest Ferris wheel in the world when it was first constructed. The height is 112.5 meters, and a ride on one of the 60 cars takes 15 minutes. Here, you can have great views of Yokohama, Tokyo Bay, and even as far off as Skytree on a clear day. With so much to do in this part of Yokohama, you may as well take a ride to relax and look down on all the local landmarks you’ve visited. The nighttime illuminations are really something else as well!

Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel

2-8-1 Shinko, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa
04-5641-6591
http://cosmoworld.jp/attraction/wonder/cosmoclock21/ 
Admission: General admission of 900 yen for ages 3 and up.

Giant Ferris Wheel – Yomiuriland

We’ve come to the end of the list. Closing things out is the Ferris wheel at Yomiuriland. This one doesn’t offer as much as the other options as it’s not the biggest at 60 meters high and doesn’t give you amazing urban views or the kind of height that gives you a huge vantage point. It does, however, come attached to a large theme park and is another good choice for those of us with little ones. Additionally, during the Jewellumination events, it offers an amazing view of the park’s illumination displays.

Yomiuriland Giant Ferris Wheel

4015-1 Yanokuchi, Inagi, Tokyo
04-4966-1111
https://www.yomiuriland.com/en/attraction/
Admission: General admission of 800 yen

Sitao Xiang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons