HEP - the weird ferris wheel.

One of the coolest places in Osaka, other than Hikakebashi and Namba Walk, is the Hankyu HEP Department store located in Umeda.

Well, let me start over. Osaka has about 8 million people, and the majority refer to the cool areas of Osaka as either Kita (North) or Minami (South). Kita refers to the Umeda supercomplex of Hankyu Umeda Station and JR Osaka Station. Minami is Namba, Nipponbashi (the Akihabara of Osaka, but all the freaks hang out at Tennoji and Osaka Castle Park), Shinsaibashi, and America-Mura. I prefer Minami, and my wife likes Kita.

Anyway, in Kita there is one huge shopping building called HEP that has a HUGE ferris wheel attached to the top of it. Except for one building in Osaka Business Park, this is the best view available in Osaka.

Look, I can see my wife's old college from here!!

Their latest sale commercial.