HEP FIVE Ferris wheel, Japan

Photo © Brad Beattie

Stepping off the seventh floor of a building is not something I would generally recommend. Not unless you’re going to be scooped up and taken on a breath-taking aerial voyage.

The architects of the HEP FIVE shopping complex in Japan had the bold and brilliant idea to build a Ferris wheel into the actual building. Board one of its 52 bright-red, air-conditioned gondolas from the 7th floor and it will take you up into the sky above the other skyscrapers, giving you an amazing view of the city and beyond to the mountains. The nightscape is even more splendid.

After that, explore the rest of this funky building where cafes serve ice-creams as big as your head and the top floor is a virtual theme park.

Written by - Photo by Brad Beattie

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