What’s the perfect complement to the lowest mountain in the land? A shopping mall and event space, and the largest ferris wheel in the world! That’s what Osaka decided.
The Tempozan Market Place is medium-sized shopping and entertainment complex located a scant 5-minutes walk from Osaka-ko Station on the Chuo Subway Line. It has 33 stores selling everything from simple and practical ¥100 store goods, to quality clothing and accessories for men and women. There’s even the ninja themed “Shinobi” store selling ninja attire and accessories and other quintessentially Japanese clothing items and goods. The Tempozan Marketplace is also home to 43 restaurants including the supreme value for money and Halal friendly Bab-ul Hayat Turkish Buffet (a 70 minute all-you-can-eat buffet is just ¥1,380 for adults and ¥890 for children 6-12), a food court, and the Naniwa Kuishinbon-yokocho dining arcade which serves up a wide selection of Kansai and Japanese soul food like takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Tempozan Marketplace was also built to be both a marketplace and a festival space. Events and performances are held throughout the year on the Tempozan’s Rotunda Stage and on the broad plaza just outside the mall.
The thing that sets Tempozan Marketplace far apart from other shopping complexes is its unique theme parks and attractions. The Tempozan Ferris Wheel, on the east side of the Tempozan Marketplace, is 112.5 meters tall. A ride around the Ferris wheel’s enormous circle takes just over 15 minutes and provides incredible views of the Port of Osaka, the skyscrapers of downtown Osaka, and the surrounding Kansai Area. The Legoland® Discovery Center Osaka inside the Tempozan Marketplace provides a great deal of fun for kids (and those who are kids at heart), and the “Fureai Dobutsu-en Tempozan Anipa” petting zoo provides the opportunity for people of all ages to come face-to-face with unique animals like owls, kangaroos, and capybaras!
The Tempozan Marketplace gets its name from Japan’s shortest mountain, the eponymous Tempozan (Mt. Tempo), a short 4.53 meter tall mound of earth dredged from the mouth of Osaka’s Yodoya River in 1841 to maintain and improve the flow of trade goods that were the life blood of the city. Tempozan was and remains a popular symbol of Osaka’s trade prosperity. The Tempozan Marketplace is distinctly taller than its more historic neighbor but it perpetuates that same flow of commerce with a sense of flair, fun and efficiency that is unique to Osaka.
Tempozan Marketplace is a part of the upcoming "Osaka Omotenashi Project," where tourists can enjoy various activities and rewards through a smartphone app.
