2 Ferris Wheel Gondolas Designed by Students Unveiled in Sapporo; Ezoshika Deer, Sapporo Clock Tower Provide Inspiration

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:40 JST, September 4, 2024

SAPPORO — Two Ferris wheel gondolas designed by local students were unveiled and began operations on Aug. 17 at the Norbesa shopping and amusement facility in Sapporo.

Norbesa from June to July invited art and design students in Sapporo to send in their original designs for two of the gondolas on the Ferris wheel atop the facility. From the 25 designs submitted by students of three art and design schools in the city, those by Fuka Miyawaki, 19, a second-year student at Hokkaido College of Art & Design, and Miharu Yamamoto, 19, a first-year student at Sapporo Otani University, were selected.

Miyawaki’s design features the flora and fauna of Hokkaido, including ezoshika deer, shimaenaga long-tailed tits and lilac, the symbolic flower of Sapporo.

Yamamoto took inspiration for her design from the famous Sapporo Clock Tower.

“I hope many people will take photos [of the gondolas],” Miyawaki said at the award ceremony on Aug. 17.

Yamamoto was delighted, too, saying, “I’m happy because now I have the precious experience of having my design used on a Ferris wheel”

The Ferris wheel, which opened in 2006, reaches about 78 meters above the ground. The operators have launched various projects since March, such as installing karaoke machines and playing recorded readings of ghost stories and urban legends inside the gondolas.