Spin Out Slowly In Nagoya City Central

Right in the heart of Nagoya City is the “Sky Boat”, a 42 meter diameter Ferris Wheel with 28 glass bubble gondolas mounted right on the side of Sunshine Sakae, a large shopping and entertainment complex.

(A surprising sight, a Ferris Wheel in the city center!)

(The 42 meter diameter Sky Boat at Sunshine Sakae)

Sunshine Sakae has six floors above ground and one underground floor featuring “The Grand Canyon”, a small performance space where local “Idol Talents” (ie, cute entertainers) regularly perform their song and dance routines for hoards of Otaku fans. The underground also hosts a Pachinko Parlor, (The popular pinball game that was created in Nagoya!) and a coffee café. There are more cafés, dining areas and a bar on the second floor, along with Nagoya’s version of the Ramen Museum. (Yea, it’s hard to imagine a museum dedicated to noodles in soup, but hey, this IS Japan!) The third floor is a rental DVD, CD, comic and game outlet. There are up market trendy men’s and women’s fashion stores on the fourth floor, with beauty and relaxation massage services available on the fifth, and more restaurants including a yakiniku (BBQ grill) and an Izakaya styled open pub dining on the top floor.

(A city landmark, Sunshine Sakae’s Ferris Wheel)

(Ride it twice, because one good turn deserves another!)

(Grand Canyon entertainment space)

The main focus is the Ferris Wheel which takes about 15 minutes to go all the way round, so you can spin out, really slowly,…and you get a great view of the city central. For riders at night, the view is spectacular and the Ferris Wheel looks stunning all lit up!
The bars, café’s, restaurants and shops are fun to check out, and a ride on the Sky Boat Ferris Wheel is a great way to take short break and see the city!

Writer
Chris Glenn

Chris Glenn is a bilingual radio DJ, TV presenter, producer, narrator, MC, copywriter, author and columnist, and Japanese historian, specializing in samurai castles, battles, armor and weapons. He is an inbound tourism advisor, and is often called upon as a lecturer and speaker on Japanese history and topics. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1968, and has spent over half his life in Japan, most of that time in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. Chris is dedicated to promoting and preserving Japans’ long history, deep culture, traditions, arts and crafts.