Sapporo Teine is a recreation area up in the hills of Teine-ku, in Sapporo. The mountain still runs as a ski resort in winter, but the old summer amusement park beside it was left to close. Its centerpiece, a colorful Ferris wheel, has stood still for years while the birch forest slowly grows in around it.

I came in February, and the snow made it magical. The teal frame and the little green and yellow gondolas were half-buried, capped with thick white hats, silent against a bright blue sky. There is something strange and lovely about a ride built for summer crowds, sitting frozen and alone in the middle of a Hokkaido winter.