Rinkai Koen Tokyo sealife aquarium and diamond and flower ferris wheel

Though it was a sunny day, the Rinkai Koen was reasonably crowded. We preferred to visit there after the lunch. As the climate was not kind enough to allow for an outdoor walking we headed to the aquarium, which is known as Tokyo Sealife Aquarium.

Children enjoyed walking around inside the aquarium. We could see lot of tuna fishes and other sea creatures. The aquarium also have penguins and seabirds. At a specially made water tank, children can touch fishes with their hands.

Rinkai Koen’s Giant wheel, which is called the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel has been visible to us from our apartment. Ever since we shifted to the apartment in Edogawa-ku, we have been thinking of making a visit to Rinkai koen. The Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel is believed to be the second tallest ferris wheel in Japan. Tokyo bay, Disneyland etc. are visible clearly from the top of the Ferris wheel. On a clear day, Mount Fuji can also be seen from the top.

The ticket charge was 700 Yen per person both for aquarium and ferris wheel. Ticket charge is same for children above 3 years old also.

Rinkai koen is often called as Kasai Rinkai Koen since it is in the Kasai area. From our place, Higashi Ojima, the access is very easy, but it takes around 40 minutes to reach if we depend on public transportation methods. From Funabori station’s south exit, there are buses that goes directly to Kasai Rinkai koen. The bus number 26 goes directly from Funabori station to the Rinkai koen. The frequency of buses that goes direct to the park is less, and if I am not wrong, there are buses after almost every one hour. The other way is to go to Nishi-Kasai or Kasai by bus from Funabori since the bus frequency to these locations are high, and then take another bus to Rinkai koen.

It takes just 15 minutes from Tokyo station to the Kasai Rinkai Koen station of JR Keiyo line. From the station, the park is only a minute walking distance away. The meaning of rinkai koen in English is Seaside Park. The name is Rinkai koen since the park is very near to the Tokyo bay. Kai means sea in Japanese language.On the way to the ferris wheel, just after climbing the stair cases up, we could pose for a family photo, that was being taken by a studio operating inside the wheel basement. The photographer and his assistant were marketing their product by telling to the visitors that the photograph will be a momento for their visit to Rinkai Koen and ferris wheel that they can cherish after going back home (home country). The visit to the Rinkai Koen gave pleasurable moments to our kids and they enjoyed playing around.