"On and on - does anybody know what we are living for?"

I dated someone once who loved roller coasters, and I was usually willing to go along for the ride. It's like eating pineapple - one of those experiences that seems like a much better idea before than when I'm actually doing it. When I'm safe on the ground, it looks like a great way to get a thrill without actually putting my life in danger. Once I'm in motion, however, especially at that moment just at the peak before the car falls over the edge, it seems like the most ridiculously dangerous decision ever.

Ferris Wheels are more to my tastes, though logically, there's probably just as much chance for a technical disaster on either. But on a Ferris Wheel I can at least pretend that I'm totally safe while still enjoying the thrill of being Really High Up - best of both worlds. I can arrive back at the platform without my hair mussed by the wind or my throat raw from screaming - it's a civilized adventure. And when I'm up there I can see a view of the city that I couldn't anywhere else.

For these reasons and more, I'm on a mission to ride the big wheels of Japan. At the start of this year, I hit the Tempozan in Osaka. This weekend, I finally got to the Cosmo Clock 21 in Yokohama (also 112.5 meters tall). Unfortunately, I picked a dismal day to do it, so I couldn't see any of the landmarks the recorded guide was talking about.

See what I mean about seeing the city from an angle you wouldn't otherwise? How else would I know there was a miniature golf field on top of that building -

Or a place where you could soak your feet in a stream while dressed in a yukata on top of this one -

Brought abruptly back to earth - as I disembarked I saw an older man and a high school girl in uniform boarding another car, the first time I've seen enjo kosai in action (or at least noticed it). It's possible they were related, but...