Sky Dream Fukuoka, Ferris wheel in Nishi-ku, Japan.
Sky Dream Fukuoka is a 120-meter ferris wheel with climate-controlled cabins located above the Evergreen Marinoa complex in Nishi-ku. Each cabin accommodates passengers as they rotate slowly, providing views of the city and surrounding landscape below.
Sky Dream Fukuoka opened on 15 December 2001 as Japan's tallest Ferris wheel at 120 metres. It closed on 26 September 2009; dismantling began in 2010 and was interrupted in July 2011 when supports failed, toppling two cranes, injuring one worker and damaging four cars. The wheel was sold to Taiwan's Lihpao Land, where assembly started in September 2014 and it reopened in May 2017.
The wheel stood beside Marinoa City Fukuoka, whose own smaller 58-metre wheel, Sky Wheel, turned next to it, creating a rare pair of large and small wheels side by side. Its name passed to the relocated structure at Lihpao Land, where the wheel now turns with 60 cabins.
The wheel no longer operates: it closed on 26 September 2009 and was dismantled from 2010, so there are no cabins to board at the Fukuoka site. The gondolas were air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible, and one rotation took about 20 minutes. The dismantling was interrupted in July 2011 when supports failed, toppling two cranes, injuring one worker and damaging four cars.
The wheel's 20-minute rotation was marketed as a selling point, giving riders time to observe the landscape and share the capsule with loved ones. That slow pace later lost appeal as faster, more thrilling wheels gained popularity, and high maintenance costs outpaced declining revenue.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,876 contributors worldwide.