Why I Have Always Loved Ferris WheelsJuly 27, 2026, Reiwa 8

Today, my husband and I rode "Kururin," the Ferris wheel on top of Iyotetsu Takashimaya.

People born in July can ride it at half price during their birthday month. We had been saying for a while, "Since this is our first year in Matsuyama, let's ride it together." But after I fractured my upper arm in June, I began to wonder if it would be impossible this year.

Still, after finishing some paperwork at the Labor Bank, we had a little extra time, and I was able to ride it before the end of July.

From the highest point of the Ferris wheel, Matsuyama Castle looked closer than I had expected. Even so, the castle, standing on top of its hill, still seemed higher than the Ferris wheel itself.

As I looked out over the view, memories from long ago came back to me.

In my forties and fifties, people jokingly called me a "Ferris wheel fanatic." Whenever I found a Ferris wheel, I simply had to ride it.

Kobe, Awaji Island, Nagashima, Osaka... Wherever I traveled, if there was a Ferris wheel, I got on.

Why did I love them so much?

Today, I think I finally found the answer.

They were a place where I could escape from my busy life for about fifteen minutes.

When I was working as a high school English teacher, a Ferris wheel may have been my small refuge, a place where I could leave the busy world behind for a little while.

I even remembered riding a Ferris wheel during a school excursion while my students were enjoying their free time. I sat there grading exam papers that I had brought with me in my bag. It would be unthinkable today, but those were different times. Looking back, I can only laugh and wonder how none of the papers ever blew away.

Another memory also came back to me.

It was the Ferris wheel scene in The Great Passage by Shion Miura.

Majime Mitsuya and Kaguya quietly ride a Ferris wheel together.

A Ferris wheel is not a ride that rushes forward. It simply turns slowly and eventually returns to where it started.

Perhaps that is why people find themselves reflecting on their own lives while riding one.

When I was younger, it gave me a brief escape from the busyness of everyday life.

This year, at the age of sixty-eight, it gave me the joy of realizing that even after breaking my arm, I could still ride it again.

The same Ferris wheel can offer different views and different meanings at different stages of life.

Today, "Kururin" allowed me to look not only over the city of Matsuyama, but also quietly back over the journey of my own life.

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