By TAKUYA ISAYAMA/ Staff Writer
August 25, 2022 at 16:17 JST
After more than 20 years, the iconic Ferris wheel in Odaiba, Tokyo Bay’s popular commercial district, will cease operations on Aug. 31.
But the massive Ferris wheel, one of the largest ever constructed in Japan, won't be going dark without a final showstopper.
As a farewell, the amusement ride, known as “Palette Town Daikanransha,” has been lit up in a special illumination every night.
From sundown until 10 p.m. every night until Aug. 31, the giant wheel will be lit up repeatedly in colorful projection mapping.
The closure is associated with the shutdown of Palette Town, a large-scale commercial complex facility built on reclaimed land in Koto Ward and opened in 1999.
The attractions include Zepp Tokyo, a concert hall, Toyota Mega Web, the automaker’s car theme park, Venus Fort, a medieval Europe-themed commercial facility, and the Ferris wheel among others.
The owners of the land--Mori Building Co., a giant developer, and Toyota Motor Corp.--in July 2021 announced the closure of Palette Town.
These facilities have been shut down sequentially since then.
The 15-minute illumination show features special images representing the Palette Town’s facilities.
For instance, images of musical notes are shown as an homage to Zepp Tokyo and images of cars for Mega Web.
Lines of customers to ride the Ferris wheel have grown longer as the final operation day nears.
However, the operator does not allow people to get in some of the gondolas when the interior temperature becomes too high.
A representative of the giant Ferris wheel urges people to check the latest operation schedule on its website and Twitter account in advance.
Development of the Odaiba district was launched around the late 1980s as a measure to alleviate the overconcentration of people and industries in Tokyo.
The Rainbow Bridge opened in 1993, and Yurikamome, a new transit system, started operations in 1995, dramatically changing the landscape and the movement of people in the capital.
Along with the opening of Palette Town, big-name hotel operators and major companies’ headquarters started popping up in Odaiba.
According to the metropolitan government, the residential population on the manmade island was 3,150 in 1998. But it jumped to 18,120 in 2020. The working population was 56,000 as of 2020.
The Ferris wheel has been a symbol of such change, attracting many visitors from around the nation and abroad.
A multi-purpose arena and a new commercial facility are expected to be built on the Palette Town site.
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Palette Town Daikanransha in Tokyo’s Odaiba district is seen lit up on Aug. 24. The iconic giant Ferris wheel is scheduled to be shut down on Aug. 31 after more than two decades of operation. (Takuya Isayama)
