was a tall

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

at Palette Town

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s. The land was dramatically expanded during the late 20th centur ...

, Japan.

Description and history

When it opened in March 1999, it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. It has the same diameter as its world record predecessor, the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, at

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, but its overall height is greater. Daikanransha lost its world's tallest status to the

London Eye The London Eye, originally the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid Tourist attractions in the ...

, which officially opened on December 31, 1999, but which did not open to the public until March 2000 because of technical problems. It also lost its title as Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel to the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel and Sky Dream Fukuoka in 2001, followed by the Redhorse Osaka Wheel in 2016. It is the third tallest Ferris wheel ever constructed in Japan, Asia's 10th tallest and the world's 12th tallest wheel ever constructed. Daikanransha was visible from the central urban area of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. During its 16-minute ride, passengers could observe key landmarks, including

Tokyo Tower , also known as the Japan Radio Tower (, ) is a Radio masts and towers, communications and observation tower in the district of Shiba-koen in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, completed in 1958. At , it was the List of tallest structures in Japan, tallest ...

, the twin-deck Rainbow Bridge,

Tokyo Skytree , also written as Tokyo Sky Tree, is a broadcasting and observation tower, located in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It has been the tallest tower in Japan since opening in 2012,

, Tokyo Gate Bridge, and

Haneda Airport , also known as and sometimes abbreviated to ''Tokyo-Haneda'', is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary domestic base of J ...

, as well as the

skyscrapers A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

. On clear days, visibility extended to the

Bōsō Peninsula The is a peninsula that encompasses the entirety of Chiba Prefecture on Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula covers ...

and

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

, Japan’s highest peak. The Ferris wheel featured a total of 64 gondolas, most of which were renowned for their rainbow-colored design. However, four special gondolas were made entirely of transparent

polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate ester, carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, toughness, tough materials, and some grades are optically transp ...

, offering a see-through experience. These transparent gondolas were also equipped with

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

for passenger comfort. Passengers had the opportunity to take a commemorative photo before boarding the gondola. File:Zoom - Ferris Wheel at MegaWeb, Tokyo (230664944).jpg, One of the see-through gondolas File:色のご指定はご遠慮下さい。 (1798003625).jpg File:A night view of Odaiba from palette town ferris wheel.jpg, Night-time view from the Ferris wheel File:Daikanransha Ferris Wheel @ Odaiba (8994577806).jpg, Day-time view from the Ferris wheel

Illumination

At night, the Ferris wheel was illuminated by approximately 120,000 neon tubes, programmed to display various patterns in over 100 colors. In March 2013, the lighting system underwent a renovation, introducing seasonal-themed displays, including cherry blossoms for spring,

snowflakes A snowflake is a single ice crystal that is large enough to fall through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. 1, pp. 100–107.Hobbs, P.V. 1974. Ice Physics. Oxford: C ...

for winter, autumn leaves for fall, and

watermelons The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is widely cultivated worldwide, with more than 1,000 ...

for summer. The nighttime view from Daikanransha earned it the distinction of "No. 1 Night View from a Ferris Wheel" and a place among Japan’s top 20 observation spots. File:Palette Town.JPG, The winter illumination pattern File:Odaiba palette town 1.jpg, Hello Kitty illumination pattern File:DSC05019 (29419887144).jpg

Closure

As part of the redevelopment plan for the entire Palette Town, the Ferris wheel was scheduled to close at the end of August 2022. Demolition work commenced in September 2023 and was completed by the end of November 2023.A new multi-purpose arena, Toyota Arena Tokyo, along with various commercial facilities, is set to be developed on the former Palette Town site. Following the dismantling of the Daikanransha Ferris wheel in late 2022, several of its gondolas found new homes. On December 24, 2022, a gondola was installed at the Kashimayari Ski Resort in Ōmachi City,

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

. The resort, aiming to enhance its "winter theme park" concept for non-skiers, received the gondola as a complimentary gift from the previous owner. Relocating the entire Ferris wheel within Japan was deemed unfeasible due to legal revisions, and international inspections were hindered by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. However, the gondolas remained durable, prompting their repurposing to introduce amusement park elements to the ski resort. Additionally, on May 18, 2023, another gondola was installed at Nasu Highland Park in Nasu Town,

Tochigi Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,897,649 (1 June 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi ...

. File:Palette Town Giant Ferris Wheel.jpg, The Ferris wheel on the closing day (August 31, 2022) File:Daikanransha (52506335304).jpg, The Ferris wheel being dismantled

Gallery

File:Odaiba Ferris Wheel.jpg, Daikanransha File:Odaiba palette town 2.jpg, alt= File:Daikanransha-odaiba-2020 1 7.webm, Daikanransha in 2020 File:Odaiba10.jpg, Odaiba skyline File:Daikanransha.jpg, Structure and gondolas File:Palette Town en Odaiba.jpg, Palette Town entrance File:Laika ac Venus Fort (7642060464).jpg File:Ferris Wheel @ Odaiba (9227448138).jpg File:矢印 (1204416811).jpg File:Palette Town Ⅱ.JPG, Palette Town

References

External links

* {{Coord, 35.6263915, 139.7822902, region:JP_type:landmark, display=title Amusement rides introduced in 1999 Amusement rides that closed in 2022 1999 establishments in Japan 2022 disestablishments in Japan Buildings and structures in Koto, Tokyo Ferris wheels in Japan Odaiba Tourist attractions in Tokyo Former buildings and structures in Tokyo Former Ferris wheels