The fact that we didn't manage to check out Mt Moiwa the day before kind of resulted in us thinking of alternatives and while we had options like JR Tower and Sapporo TV Tower; we guess it's more memorable to take the "only Ferris wheel on the roof of a building in Hokkaido"!
Purchase your tickets via the self-serviced kiosk which was extremely straightforward; in my opinion, foolproof. Select the number of persons, slot in the money for payment and collect your tickets.
Let's now enter the gondola; p.s. in case you are wondering, entry wasn't self-serviced and you would have to show your ticket to gain access. Hence, don't lose the ticket if you decide to buy first, shop and then take the ferris wheel later.
Each gondola can only sit 4 persons!
It's literally a largely-pink ferris wheel with the other color being the mainly white. This brings back memories of my stay at Taiwan's Misty Villa in Cingjing where we were allocated a pink room.
Beginning our ascent with a view of the bright yellow-orangey horizon as the sun prepared to set at about a little past 5.00 pm. Look closely for the location of Tokyo Hands building!
NORBESA is a seven-floor commercial building situated in the popular entertainment and nightlife district known as Susukino. It's interesting to go through some of their resident retailers which include a huge comic store and a 24-hour internet cafe.
Mountain view.
Sapporo TV Tower in front of us! As Japan is known as the Land of Earthquakes, i am frequently marveled by the number of towering buildings we chanced upon in Hokkaido.
I know it's weird for me to share the above photo but the objective is applicable for those who would be renting a car. Parking in Sapporo can be deadly expensive and i saw that this particular multi-storey carpark is charging just 900 yen for one-day parking! p.s. to be fair, i am unsure if the rate is for 24-hour.
Reaching the apex of the ferris wheel! Come at night for illuminated view of the city! Furthermore, the wheel itself would be decked out in moving lights that highlighted its location in Sapporo!
Highest point, if i didn't read wrongly, should be 78 meters above ground, with the diameter of the wheel being 45.5 meters. yes, not freakish tall compared to JR Tower and Sapporo TV Tower.
Can't remember why i took this picture; likely to show the pink ledge with flaking paint that looked like birds have decided to bomb it with their natural digestive output.
Another view of the mountain range that's shrouded with low lying clouds.
Zoomed in view of Sapporo TV Tower which also showed the time at that moment; by the way, each cycle of the ferris wheel takes about 10 minutes.
Alex with his wide, braces-perfected smile!
Picture of me trying to capture a shot of the internal workings of the ferris wheel.
So many bars just to hold up everything! Sometimes, i find engineering fascinating although i don't quite understand physics despite scoring a decent B3 for pure physics in the 'O' levels.
Remember the above? Those who have read Day 6 of my Hokkaido trip might recall it's the Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium used for the 1972 Winter Olympics!
Coming to the end of our cycle - maybe because it's a slow moving Thursday, there were not many visitors and i think there's only a group ahead of us and another one stepping in when we left.
Final picture with an ugly plastic bag on the side!
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Address
Japan, 〒060-0063 Hokkaido, Sapporo,
Chuo, Minami 3 Jonishi, 5 Chome−1-1
Location Map
As above.
Operating Hours
Sundays to Thursdays - 11.00 am to 11.00 pm
Fridays to Saturdays - 11.00 am to 3.00 am
Ticket Pricing
600 yen per person
2,000 per gondola (4-person)
For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.