Redhorse Osaka Wheel — Attraction in Suita

We took a ride on the Redhorse Osaka Wheel during Golden Week, and it turned out to be a lovely surprise! Despite the holiday crowd, the queue was very manageable—we booked online in advance, which helped us skip the line and head straight to the fun.

We picked the Sakura-themed cabin, and it was adorable! There are actually several themed options available—some with karaoke, others with escape room games, and more. Such a fun way to personalize your ride!

The entire ride lasted around 20 minutes, which felt just right. We went at 4 p.m., when the weather was perfect—bright but not too hot, and just right for photos. Some may find the themed cabin decor slightly obstructs the view, but it also adds to the mood, especially if you’re on a romantic couple trip. Totally worth it for the vibes!

Drinks are included with the ticket—we tried both matcha and strawberry. They’re on the milky side, and sipping on a cold drink while enjoying a bird’s-eye view of Osaka made the whole experience feel extra special.

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Booking Tip: While platforms like Trip.com, KKday, or Klook are great for quick bookings, they usually only offer standard cabins. If you want to try the special themed cabins, it’s best to book directly on the Redhorse official website. Heads up—it’s mostly in Japanese, so you might need to use Google Translate and go through a few more steps, but it’s...

Great big wheel. While the view isn’t one of grandeur, the wheel allows an amazing view of how Osaka spreads out and becomes part of the Keihanshin (京阪神, "Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe") metropolitan region. Even on a clear day it’s difficult to see beyond the edge of this concrete jungle, which is home to some 20 million people. The wheel, and adjacent expo park, are located on a hill in the middle of the Keihanshin region. It’s the location of this rise which allows such a wide view.

The wheel is easy walking distance from the Bampaku-kinen-koen monorail station. This 3 minute walk is in the open and not covered. The entrance to the wheel involves walking past a good variety of restaurants, all of which provide good food at varying prices. This makes the option of a day/evening trip quite an enjoyable outing. The old expo park on the other side of the motorway adds to the options, although, this is closed on...

Avoid this attraction. There are so many other fun things to do. The staff was courteous but very disorganised. We booked our tickets online but it seems like the staff didn't know how to handle the booking. They kept on giving conflicting instructions that despite queueing well before the entry time, we were the last to board. They prioritised the ones with the kpop event but let the rest of us wait even though we came first. Very disappointed. Even the Japanese couple in front of us were in the same condition and they felt guilty and sad for us because we came all the way from...