The HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel is a large above-ground 75-meter Ferris Wheel on the roof of Hep Five shopper complex.
I already tried another Ferris Wheel attraction, and this was the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, but that was at night.
Arriving at HEP FIVE from Umeda Station
I arrived at Umeda early in the morning, but around the afternoon (3:00 pm), I’ve decided to go and check out the Hep Five Ferris Wheel.
A short few minutes walk from Hankyu Umeda Station or Higashi-Umeda Station and I was there.
The shopping complex itself is nice. To get into the Hep Five large red Ferris wheel you’ll need to get to the 7th floor of the building. There is also a Virtual Reality place there, by the way, so you can check it out as well.
HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel Opening Hours, Location & Ticket Price
Opening hours: from 11:00 am to 10:45 pm, all week.
Address: 〒530-0017 Osaka, Kita Ward, Kakudacho, 5−15 HEP FIVE 7F.
Ticket Fee: ¥600/person (Children 5 and under FREE). Also free with Osaka Amazing Pass (more on that later in this post).
Keep in mind that sometimes, the Ferris Wheel is closed for inspections. You can visit hepfive.jp website to check if there are any notifications. For example, as of the time of writing, it says that on October 17, 2019, the Ferris Wheel will be closed for equipment inspection until 6 PM. IT also says that “Next closing day is November 14th”.
So just something to keep in mind if you intend to arrive in the area with your kids or just yourself to try this attraction.
Entering the HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel
This was actually the first time I tried this specific red Ferris Wheel in Umeda, Osaka, Japan. I’ve decided to go during daylight to get a nice clear view of the city. However, I definitely recommend doing it at sunset or at night for some gorgeous night cityscape views.
Panoramic Cityscape View of Osaka City
One of the great things about using this specific Ferris Wheel is that it’s located in the middle of the city. Therefore, you can get a 360-degree panoramic cityscape view of Osaka city no matter where you look at.
Here is a photo was taken before we reached the top altitude, so it’s still not the best view, not yet.
There is also a printed label on the rear window that shows you some of the city’s most important landmarks. It’s actually was designed to be perfectly aligned with those landmarks when you are at a higher altitude.
Here is another view from a high altitude. Don’t expect the Ferris wheel to go over those large skyscrapers, but the view is incredible from there.
Enter Free using Osaka Amazing Pass
TIP: You can get a free ride at Hep Five Ferris Wheel if you have the tourist’s Osaka Amazing Pass, which included access to 40 sightseeing spots for free.
The price for the Osaka Amazing Pass is (as of the time of writing), 2700 Japanese Yen for a 1-day pass and 3600 Japanese Yen for the 2-day pass.
It’s great for people staying in Osaka for one or two days. You have the convenience of enjoying many of the Osaka’s top sightseeing spots for free, including free bus and train rides.
More information in English can be found on the osaka-info.jp website.
Summary
Although Hep Five isn’t my favorite Ferris Wheels in Osaka, the Tempozan is—I recommend checking it out once you are in Umeda. If you have the Osaka Amazing Pass ticket, it’s free, so of course, check it out.
Hep Five vs Tempozan
Just for comparison, the Tempozan is a large Ferris Wheel, overlooking Osaka Bay in the south-west and Osaka City in all other directions. It looks amazing at night, where the wheel embraces beautiful color effects and even animations.
It s a different atmosphere there. It’s a more calm and relaxing experience. You might see some large ships sopping by and it’s not far from Universal Studios Japan. So if you visit Universal Studios, you might as well go and see the Tempozan.
Overall, a fun experience I definitely recommend taking this ride. You can capture beautiful photos from that altitude. The area itself is a great area to hang around with, with many shops and interesting places to see. Enjoy your trip.