JAPAN: AMUSEMENT PARK ADDS SPECIAL HEART SHAPED COMPARTMENTS TO IT'S FERRIS WHEEL TO ATTRACT COUPLES ON VALENTINE'S DAY

Record ID: 862416

  • Title: JAPAN: AMUSEMENT PARK ADDS SPECIAL HEART SHAPED COMPARTMENTS TO IT'S FERRIS WHEEL TO ATTRACT COUPLES ON VALENTINE'S DAY
  • Date: 11th February 2003
  • Summary: FUJIYOSHIDA, JAPAN (RECENT)(REUTERS) ( * BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) FERRIS WHEEL AT FUJIKYU (FOO-JEE-KYOO) HIGHLAND AMUSEMENT PARK RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY TO MARK THE DEBUT OF THE TRANSPARENT FERRIS WHEEL COMPARTMENTS
  • Embargoed: 26th February 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: FUJIYOSHIDA, JAPAN
  • City:
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA9WV645JMD9UZ8ESB664FJV5WI
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: An amusement park in Japan has added special heart-shaped, transparent compartments to its ferris wheel to attract couples seeking high altitude romance on Valentine's Day.
    A ribbon cutting ceremony at the weekend by Japanese celebrities, the Kano (KAH-NOH) Sisters, and former Sumo grand champion Konishiki, marked the official debut of the transparent ferris wheel gondolas.
    The heart-shaped compartments were attached to a ferris wheel at Fujikyu Highland, an amusement park nestling at the foot of Mt. Fuji.
    "We have made the world's only transparent ferris wheel.
    The walls, the seats, everything is made of transparent material. You can enjoy a 360 degree view when you ride in the car," said Mikio Mori, planning manager at Fuji Kyuko (KYOO-KOH) Co, which operates the park.
    The first to take rides were the Kano Sisters dressed in clothes almost transparent as the new compartments and Konishiki, whose bulk barely fit through the glass door.
    "It would be a nice place to come," said Konishiki after his ride in the air-conditioned transparent gondola.
    The question is, will the gimmick be enough to attract couples out on a night of romancing in the foothills of Mount Fuji? "Depends on which couples you're talking about.
    Everyone's got their own ways, man. Everyone got their own angles," Konishi said.
    At least it won't be an expensive night out as it costs 500 yen (4.15 US dollars) to ride in the see-through heart.
    And if you don't think you can find romance in an amusement park just think of the view you get from the top of the ferris wheel as it dangles 50 metres above the ground, overlooking the snowcapped tips of Mount Fuji.
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