Kururin Ferris Wheel

Kururin Ferris Wheel

A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

The Iyotetsu Takashimaya department store is actually the terminus for the Iyo Railway Co., (Iyotetsu), the first railway in Shikoku and also the third private railway in Japan. This follows the Japanese tradition of major railway lines that built department stores at the terminus of their lines, so that they could literally feed warm bodies into the maw of Mammon from all directions with their steel conveyor belts. As a novel addition to this tendency, Iyotetsu has added an enormous Ferris wheel on the roof of its department store bringing an extra dimension to the travel options of the railway company. Known as Kururin, this wheel is a very visible landmark, especially at night when it’s illuminated in constantly changing patterns. For those who are interested in these things, the name Kururin is the diminutive form of “something that goes round”.