Cosmo Clock 21

Located in the urban amusement park “Yokohama Cosmo World,” this Ferris wheel is the world’s largest clock with a total height of 112.5 meters. It is well known as a symbol of Yokohama.

A 15-minute walk in the air allows visitors to enjoy a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view during the day and a beautiful jewel-like night view at night.

The Ferris wheel is 100 meters in diameter, with a total of 60 gondolas and pillars, and has a seating capacity for 480 passengers, one of the largest in Japan.

Admission to Yokohama Cosmo World is free, so visitors can easily use the Ferris wheel alone.

From sunset, the Ferris wheel is illuminated every 15 minutes.

History of Cosmo Clock 21

Cosmo Clock 21 was built within the “Cosmo World Children’s Republic,” an exhibition facility at the 1989 Yokohama Exposition.

The original Ferris wheel was 107.5 m tall, with a giant digital clock (Citizen Clock) in the center of the wheel and illuminated neon tubes on the pillars, and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the “World’s Largest Ferris Wheel” and “World’s Largest Clock.

The name comes from the theme of the Yokohama Expo, a combination of “cosmo” (meaning space), “clock” (meaning clock), and “21” (meaning the 21st century).

The expo was so popular that it was decided to operate it even after the expo ended. Later, it was moved to a new location with the development of the Minato Mirai district, and has been in operation again since 1999.

When it was moved, the pedestal was raised to a total height of 112.5 meters. At the same time, the illumination was renewed, with the addition of a fireworks-like effect using a rotating wheel every 15 minutes of the hour, and the colors of the lights were changed for each of the four seasons at night.

In 2016, a major renewal took place, and the clock indicator and illumination were converted to full-color LEDs. The nighttime illumination (Giant Ferris Wheel: Art of Light) is performed every 15 minutes from sunset to midnight.