Sky Dream Fukuoka, September 2009Sky Dream and the Evergreen Marinoa at Night, January 2006
Sky Dream Fukuoka (Japanese: スカイドリームフクオカ) was a 120-metre-tall giant Ferris wheel in the city of Fukuoka, Japan, operating from December 2001 until September 2009.
It was 120 metres (390 ft) tall, making it the tallest Ferris wheel in Japan during its years of operation. It was located in the Evergreen Marinoa (Japanese: エバーグリーンマリノア) entertainment facility adjacent to the Marinoa City Fukuoka mall, which itself features a smaller, 58-metre-tall ferris wheel.
The gondolas were all air conditioned and accessible for wheelchair-users. One full rotation took approximately 20 minutes.
Sky Dream Fukuoka was built to renew the infrastructure in Fukuoka with an attempt to develop the cultural tourism industry in the city. Promoting Sky Dream Fukuoka as one of the tallest Ferris wheels in Japan, Fukuoka sought to gain profound growth in its regional economy through revenue generated from tourism. When the Ferris wheel was newly opened for visitors, Sky Dream Fukuoka achieved a fair amount of popularity as a landmark and tourist attraction.[1]
Sky Dream Fukuoka eventually faced financial challenges soon after, where visitors have declined over time. The Sky Dream Fukuoka initially gained popularity over their slow pacing of the wheel rotation, where Sky Dream Fukuoka advertised the slow pacing of the Ferris wheel as a selling point that provides a longer amount of time for visitors to observe the landscape and spend time with their loved ones inside the capsule. However, the following selling feature didn’t appeal to their customers as more Ferris wheels from Western countries adopted more thrilling & fast-paced Ferris wheels that have risen in popularity.[citation needed] Moreover, because the Ferris wheel was big, it required expensive maintenance work to keep the Sky Dream Fukuoka in operation. But as the passenger numbers of Sky Dream Fukuoka were declining over time, generating enough revenue to fulfill the maintenance cost & profit was predicted to be unviable. Therefore, the Evergreen Group (owner of the Sky Dream Fukuoka) has decided to close the Sky Dream Fukuoka permanently.[2]
Sky Dream Fukuoka closed on 26 September 2009.[3] It was subsequently sold to a Taiwanese company for rebuilding at Lihpao Land in Taiwan.[4][5] Dismantling work commenced in 2010, although work was disrupted in July 2011 when supports failed, causing two cranes involved in dismantling to topple over, injuring one workman and damaging four cars.[4]
^Tai Wei LIM, Assistant Professor (2008-02-15). "Creative Clustering in Urban Japan: The Case of Fukuoka". www.japanesestudies.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^Heingartner, Douglas (2007-07-28). "The Bigger Ferris Wheels Get, the More Cash Flows". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^大観覧車スカイドリームフクオカ前売りチケット購入分の払戻しについて [Refunds for Sky Dream Fukuoka advance ticket sales] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: Everland. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
^ ab解体中の観覧車支柱が倒壊…クレーンも転倒、１人けが 福岡 [Ferris wheel supports fail - cranes topple, injuring one]. MSN Sankei News (in Japanese). Japan: The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
^Fourth Tallest Ferris Wheel in the World, Sky Dream Fukuoka, Arriving In Taiwan Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
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