Osaka Observation Decks on the Amazing Pass: 5 Compared

The Osaka Amazing Pass covers five viewpoints in all: the Umeda Kuchu Teien Observatory, the HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel, Tsutenkaku, the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel and the Sakishima Cosmo Tower.

I compared the five observation decks and ferris wheels on price, opening hours, height, day and night views, and how they fit into a route, and set out which to choose depending on your itinerary.

The five Amazing Pass viewpoints compared

With the Osaka Amazing Pass you get free entry to three observation decks and two ferris wheels.

📌 At 300m, the Harukas 300 observatory is the highest in Osaka, but it isn't free with the Amazing Pass. Show the pass and you get 10% off.

✅ The three observation decks compared

📌 Of the three, the highest is the Sakishima Cosmo Tower (252m), and the one with an open-air view is the Umeda Kuchu Teien. At Tsutenkaku you can add the slide and the Dive & Walk experience.

✅ The two ferris wheels compared

📌 HEP FIVE stands out for its late hours, and Tempozan for its see-through gondolas, transparent right down to the floor.

Umeda viewpoints: Kuchu Teien and HEP FIVE

In Umeda, the viewpoints you can use with the Amazing Pass are the Kuchu Teien Observatory and the HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel.

Both are in Umeda, so you can fit them into the same half day. The Kuchu Teien has an entry-time limit, though. If you want the Umeda night view, plan a daytime visit and an evening one.

① Umeda Kuchu Teien Observatory (free entry until 3 p.m.)

The Kuchu Teien at the Umeda Sky Building is an observation space linking the tops of the two towers, with an unobstructed view over Osaka and no glass in the way.

If you are using the Amazing Pass, check the times first. Free entry with the pass is from 9:30 to 15:00; after 15:00 you show the pass and buy a ticket at 10% off the regular price. So with the Amazing Pass, plan the Umeda Kuchu Teien for the morning or daytime.

My Umeda Kuchu Teien post covers the hours, location and how to use it.

👉 Umeda Sky Building Observatory: Tickets, Hours & Passes

② HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel

The HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel is the red landmark built on the 7th floor of the HEP FIVE building, right in the middle of Umeda.

Its highest point is about 106m and one rotation takes about 15 minutes. The 52 gondolas are heated and air-conditioned, and you can connect your phone to a Bluetooth speaker and play your own music.

📍 View the HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel on Google Maps

✅ Things to consider when planning Umeda

The catch with the Amazing Pass is that Kuchu Teien entry is limited to before 15:00.

The pass won't get you into the Kuchu Teien free after 15:00. For the Umeda night view, go to HEP FIVE in the evening. Luckily, last boarding at HEP FIVE is 22:45, so you can go after all your evening plans are done.

Umeda looks different by day and by night. I recommend splitting it: the Kuchu Teien in the daytime and HEP FIVE in the evening.

The Kuchu Teien gives you a wide-open view with no glass in the way. At HEP FIVE you watch the Umeda night view from a gondola for 15 minutes while listening to your own music. Both were beautiful.

Shinsekai and Abeno observation decks

The Shinsekai and Abeno area has Tsutenkaku and the Harukas 300 observatory. Both are among Osaka's best-known observation decks, but Harukas 300 isn't free with the Amazing Pass.

① Tsutenkaku Observatory

Tsutenkaku is the Shinsekai landmark where you get activities like the Tower Slider and Dive & Walk as well as the view.

There is no time limit on using the Amazing Pass here. You can go whenever it fits your plans. At the ticket center on 1F you show the pass, choose the activities and entry time you want, and exchange it for tickets.

I explain how to use the Amazing Pass for the observatory, the Tower Slider and Dive & Walk in my Tsutenkaku post.

👉 Tsutenkaku Osaka: Tickets, Tower Slider & Dive & Walk

② Harukas 300 (not on the Amazing Pass)

Harukas 300 is the main observatory on floors 58-60 of Abeno Harukas, at 300m the tallest building in Osaka. On a clear day you can see toward Kyoto, Mount Rokko and Awaji Island.

It isn't free with the Amazing Pass, though; only the Osaka Rakuyu Pass PREMIUM covers it. Showing the Amazing Pass does get you 10% off admission instead. Character collaboration events are held here often.

📍 View Harukas 300 on Google Maps

✅ Things to consider when planning Shinsekai and Abeno

Harukas 300 is the highest observatory in Osaka, but it needs its own ticket. If you're using the Amazing Pass, Tsutenkaku in Shinsekai is the one to choose.

At Tsutenkaku the Amazing Pass also covers the Tower Slider and Dive & Walk as well as the observatory. Leave yourself plenty of time for it when you plan.

Osaka Bay observation decks

The Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel and the Sakishima Cosmo Tower Observatory on Osaka Bay are two subway stops apart, so you can plan them together on the same day. You can see Osaka Port from the Santa Maria cruise and the ferris wheel at Tempozan, then move to Sakishima for the sunset and night view.

① Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel

The Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel is the Osaka Port landmark with a wide-open view over the harbor and the sea.

It is 112.5m high with a 100m diameter, and one rotation takes about 15 minutes. Of its 60 gondolas, 8 are see-through, transparent right down to the floor.

Hours and how to use the pass there are in my Tempozan ferris wheel post.

👉 Osaka Tempozan: Ferris Wheel & Santa Maria Cruise Prices

② Sakishima Cosmo Tower Observatory

The Sakishima Cosmo Tower Observatory is the highest of the five viewpoints you can use with the Amazing Pass.

It is on the 55th floor, 252m above ground, with a 360-degree panorama over Osaka Bay. On a clear day you can see toward Awaji Island, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and Kansai International Airport.

📍 View the Cosmo Tower Observatory on Google Maps

📌 Getting from Tempozan to the Sakishima Building

From Osakako Station at Tempozan, take the Chuo Line one stop to Cosmosquare Station and change to the New Tram there. Go one more stop and get off at Trade Center-mae Station. The Amazing Pass works on both lines.

From the station to the observatory is about a 5-minute walk. Exit 2 leads into a passage that runs inside the building, so it's easy to get there whatever the weather.

At the observatory entrance on 1F, show the Amazing Pass and exchange it for an entry ticket.

📌 Getting up to the observatory

From the observatory entrance you take a panoramic elevator to the 52nd floor, then escalators from the 52nd to the 55th.

On the way down, take the escalators from the 55th floor to the 51st, then an ordinary elevator from the 51st.

✅ Things to consider when planning Osaka Bay

If you are doing both, I recommend Tempozan in the afternoon and the Sakishima observatory from around sunset. That's because the last Santa Maria cruise at Tempozan finishes before evening.

The Sakishima Cosmo Tower is closed on Mondays. If you want both Tempozan and Sakishima, avoid a Monday. When Monday is a public holiday it opens on the Monday and closes the next day instead, so be sure to check Japan's public holidays before you go.

Which one to choose

You don't need to plan all five viewpoints. Decide the area and time of day you'll be traveling, then pick the observatory that suits your travel style.

📌 Recommendations by purpose

📌 Using a 2-day Amazing Pass

On this Osaka trip I used a 2-day Osaka Amazing Pass and went to all three observation decks and both ferris wheels. Using them by day and by night to fit my route, I got to see Osaka change through the day.

Osaka's views were hard to compare on height alone.

The city lights, the sunset over the harbor, a slowly turning ferris wheel: each place had its own mood. Pick the one that fits your route and enjoy the view of Osaka.

🧡 Tokyo Mate Osaka Guides

I've covered the other sights you can use with the Osaka Amazing Pass, and how the 1-day and 2-day passes work, in the post below.

👉 Osaka Amazing Pass 2026: Price, 39 Spots & How to Use