Osaka Tempozan: Ferris Wheel & Santa Maria Cruise Prices
Tokyo Mate
At Tempozan in Osaka you can use both the Tempozan Ferris Wheel and the Santa Maria cruise with the Osaka Amazing Pass. Everything is walkable from Osakako Station, and with the Marketplace and Kaiyukan close by it makes an easy half-day course.
The Tempozan Amazing Pass course
I arrived at Osakako Station around 14:30, took the 15:00 Santa Maria day cruise first, looked around the Kaiyukan gift shop and Tempozan Marketplace, and rode the ferris wheel at 17:00.
From exit 1 of Osakako Station it is about a 5-minute walk to the Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Kaiyukan, and about 10 minutes to the Santa Maria boarding pier.
The Santa Maria has set departure times, so it is easier to plan if you fix the cruise time first and put the ferris wheel before or after it.
| Time | Plan |
|---|---|
| 14:30 | Osakako Station exit 1 |
| 15:00 | Santa Maria day cruise (about 45 min) |
| 16:00 | Kaiyukan gift shop |
| 16:30 | Tempozan Marketplace |
| 17:00 | Tempozan Ferris Wheel (about 15 min) |
The Santa Maria departs on the hour, and the time of the last day cruise changes with the date. Decide the departure time first, then fit the ferris wheel around it.
Tempozan Ferris Wheel
The Tempozan Ferris Wheel, free with the Osaka Amazing Pass, looks out over Osaka Port and the bay area in one sweep.
It runs until late, so do the Santa Maria day cruise or Kaiyukan first and ride the wheel afterwards.
📍 View the Tempozan Ferris Wheel on Google Maps
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel 天保山大観覧車 |
| Hours | Weekdays 10:00–21:00 Sat, Sun and holidays 10:00–22:00 ※ Last boarding 15 minutes before closing ➡️ Tempozan Ferris Wheel operating calendar |
| Height | 112.5m |
| Diameter | 100m |
| Ride time | About 15 minutes |
| Features | 60 gondolas in total 8 see-through gondolas 3 wheelchair-accessible gondolas Air conditioned Lit up at night |
| Fare | 1,000 yen (Amazing Pass accepted) ※ Charged from age 3 ➡️ (Klook) Tempozan Ferris Wheel ticket |
| Ticket office | 2F |
| Boarding | 3F |
Standard and see-through gondolas
The Tempozan Ferris Wheel has standard gondolas and see-through ones with a transparent floor.
Of the 60 gondolas, 8 are see-through, and there is no extra charge for them. There are fewer of them running, though, so at busy times you may wait longer than for a standard one.
Osaka Bay from the ferris wheel
As the gondola climbs, Osaka Bay opens up wide, not just Kaiyukan and the Tempozan area.
On a clear day you can see the Ikoma mountains to the east, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to the west, Kansai International Airport to the south and the Rokko mountains to the north.
At night the ferris wheel is lit up with LED displays.
Osaka Santa Maria Cruise
The Osaka Santa Maria Cruise is a sailing-ship-style tour boat that leaves from Tempozan Harbor Village and goes around Osaka Port for about 45 minutes. Where the ferris wheel looks down on the Osaka Bay area from above, the Santa Maria shows you Tempozan and Osaka Port from the water.
The one I took was the Santa Maria day cruise, boarding with the Osaka Amazing Pass. Departure times are fixed. Once you get to Tempozan, plan your route around the cruise time, not the ferris wheel.
📍 View the Santa Maria Cruise on Google Maps
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Santa Maria Day Cruise サンタマリア デイクルーズ |
| Sailing times | Based on the September 2026 timetable Weekdays 11:00–17:00 Sat, Sun and holidays 11:00–16:00 ※ Departs on the hour ※ Twilight Cruise at 17:30 on Sat, Sun and holidays ➡️ Santa Maria Cruise sailing schedule |
| Departures | On the hour ※ Arrive at the pier about 15 minutes before departure |
| Duration | About 45 minutes |
| Fare | Adult 1,800 yen (Amazing Pass accepted) Elementary school 900 yen ➡️ Santa Maria Cruise web tickets |
| Pier | Santa Maria pier, Tempozan Harbor Village |
⚠️ Fare increase on 1 October 2026
From 1 October the fare goes up to 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for elementary school children.
Boarding the Santa Maria with the Amazing Pass
The Santa Maria day cruise can be used with the Osaka Amazing Pass.
There is no separate ticket exchange, just show the QR code at the pier, and it is best to get there 15 minutes before departure.
Osaka Port in about 45 minutes
The Santa Maria day cruise leaves from Tempozan and circles the Osaka Port area for about 45 minutes.
Once the ship sets off you see the Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Kaiyukan from a different angle than you get on land, and it passes the harbor facilities and the Osaka Bay area too.
Day Cruise and Twilight Cruise
The Santa Maria has the day cruise that runs in the daytime and the Twilight Cruise that runs for a limited season. The Osaka Amazing Pass covers both the Santa Maria day cruise and the Twilight Cruise.
The day cruise is about 45 minutes and the Twilight Cruise about 60. The Twilight Cruise runs on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 18 April 2026 (Sat) to 31 October (Sat).
| Period | Day Cruise | Twilight Cruise |
|---|---|---|
| September weekdays | 11:00–17:00, on the hour | - |
| September weekends and holidays | 11:00–16:00, on the hour | 17:30 departure |
| October weekdays | 11:00–16:00, on the hour | - |
| October weekends and holidays | 11:00–16:00, on the hour | 17:15 departure |
➡️ Santa Maria Cruise sailing schedule
Osaka Kaiyukan
Kaiyukan is Osaka's best-known aquarium, built around the theme of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Centered on the Pacific Ocean tank where whale sharks swim, it holds about 620 species and 30,000 creatures.
On this Tempozan trip I did not go inside Kaiyukan. Instead I stopped at the Kaiyukan Official Museum Shop on the second floor, which you can use without a ticket.
📍 View Kaiyukan on Google Maps
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Kaiyukan 海遊館 |
| Hours | Varies by date (last entry 1 hour before closing) ➡️ Check Kaiyukan opening hours |
| Closed | 13 January 2027 (Wed) and 14 January (Thu) |
| Admission | Variable pricing Adult 2,700–3,200 yen Elementary and junior high 1,400–1,650 yen Children from age 3, 700–800 yen Under 2 free ➡️ (Klook) Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan admission |
| Amazing Pass | Not accepted |
| Re-entry | Not allowed |
| Time needed | About 2 hours |
Kaiyukan does not take the Amazing Pass
The Tempozan Ferris Wheel and the Santa Maria cruise can be used with the Osaka Amazing Pass, but the pass cannot be used to enter Kaiyukan. If you want to see Kaiyukan as well, plan for a separate ticket and about two hours inside.
This time I skipped the aquarium itself and stopped at the Kaiyukan Official Museum Shop on the second floor, which needs no ticket. It sells Kaiyukan original stationery, tableware, soft toys, sweets and other souvenirs.
Tempozan Marketplace
Tempozan Marketplace is the shopping complex next to Kaiyukan and the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. Restaurants, a food court, shops and activity facilities are gathered in one place, which makes it easy to eat or take a break between the Santa Maria cruise and the ferris wheel.
On this trip too I went through the Marketplace on the way to the ferris wheel after looking around the Kaiyukan Official Museum Shop.
📍 View Tempozan Marketplace on Google Maps
Marketplace opening hours change from day to day. In September 2026 it opens between 9:30 and 10:30 and runs until 22:00, and individual shops and facilities may keep different hours.
➡️ Check Tempozan Marketplace opening hours
Legoland Discovery Center Osaka
The main facility inside the Marketplace where the Osaka Amazing Pass is useful is Legoland Discovery Center Osaka on the third floor. It is an indoor facility with Miniland, a 4D cinema and Lego brick play areas. The Amazing Pass terms for it change from date to date.
In September 2026 you can enter with the pass at no extra charge on the 1st to 3rd, 8th to 10th, 15th to 17th and 29th to 30th. On the 4th, 7th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 24th to 25th and 28th you can use it at no extra charge after 14:00, and before that you get 500 yen off the same-day admission.
➡️ Check Legoland Amazing Pass eligible dates
Even when you use the pass, you need to book the date and time in advance. On the English site choose Trade prebook and then book from Book Now; on the Japanese site use the 購入済チケット・クーポン入場予約 menu. At the entrance, show the Osaka Amazing Pass together with the booking number.
➡️ Book entry in advance at Legoland Discovery Center Osaka
Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho
For a meal or a short break, there is Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho (なにわ食いしんぼ横丁) on the second floor.
The space is themed on Osaka food, with restaurants serving okonomiyaki, curry, omurice, ikayaki, rice bowls and more. It is also handy for eating before or after the Santa Maria cruise, or for filling time before the ferris wheel.
Even without visiting Kaiyukan, stringing together the Santa Maria cruise, the Marketplace and the ferris wheel is enough to fill half a day at Tempozan. Finishing on the ferris wheel, looking down at Osaka Port, gives you a different side of Tempozan from the one you saw out on the water.
This Tempozan plan carried on from the Umeda half-day course I did earlier the same day. If you are planning the whole day from Umeda through to Tempozan, the Umeda half-day course is worth a look too.
👉 Umeda Half-Day Itinerary: Kuchu Teien, Parks & Shopping
If you want to see Osaka's sea views, a different side from busy Namba and Umeda, spend a slow half day at Tempozan. I think the view of Osaka Port from Tempozan will be one more scene I take away from this trip.