Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
Japanese aquariums break with convention, combining marine life with scenic beauty and digital art to
create an immersive experience of the aquatic world.
Surrounded by the sea, Japan is known for its many water cities. It is also home to more than 150
Japanese aquariums, a popular attraction that ranges
in size from a room in
a private residence to the
Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
The Reiwa era which began on May 1, 2019, brought Japan a fresh breeze of inspiration and a rise in
unique aquariums that pique curiosity.
The Japanese aquarium is now more than simply a place to observe fish through the glass. It has come up
with ingenious ways to recreate the ocean environment, providing a one-of-a-kind immersive experience
for people in all stages of life.
The Sceneries of Shikoku Aquarium
One such evolving aquarium we visited was the Shikoku Aquarium in Utazu, Kagawa Prefecture. Right off
the bat, something was amiss — or missing, to be precise. It lacked the usual "unusual creatures" that
most aquariums boast, and the route was left completely up to the visitor. The customary profiles
describing the marine animal on display were also missing.
In their place were blackboards with illustrations and descriptions of marine creatures, drawn by the
aquarium staff. They are especially popular with children for being much easier to understand compared
to the usual scientific jargon.
Japanese Aquariums: The Sceneries of Shikoku
The aquarium director, Yoshimasa Matsuzawa, says, "We want visitors to experience the aquascape of
Shikoku, more than to display rare creatures."
The tanks and pools are all named "sceneries" to capture the unique marine environment of
Shikoku.
The "whirlpool scenery" is a water tank that reproduces the whirlpools of Naruto, where visitors can
watch the famous fish of Shikoku's four prefectures.
The "dusk scenery" is an enchanting display of dolphins swimming under the sunset over the Seto Inland
Sea.
Time seems to pass slowly as visitors silently gaze at the shifting colors of the sea, relax in the
soothing atmosphere of nature, or take photos in an attempt to capture the beauty of it all.
Projection Mapping, Lights, and Lasers at Japanese
Aquariums
The "theatrical" aquarium átoa, which opened in Kobe in October 2021, combines art and aquatic life to
create otherworldly spaces with themes like "forest of spirits" and "encounter of the miraculous
planet."
Marine life thrives under laser beams and spotlights — digital art has broken through the boundaries of
a conventional aquarium to create a whole
new world that brings endless surprises to its visitors.
Aquariums all over Japan continue to evolve. Although the concepts vary, they share the same goal: to
make people curious about living creatures. The only question left is where to start.
海に囲まれた日本は、水都とよばれる多くの街がある。水族館の人気も高く、民家の一室から甲子園球場とほぼ同じ広さまで、その数１５０を超えるという。令和に入り、より楽しく神秘的な空間をめざして、新しい施設も増加の一途だ。魚を見るというより、海の中にいるような演出も増え、子供はもちろんカップルやお年寄りも楽しめる。進化を続ける水族館を訪ねた。
たくさんの〝ないもの〟を誇るのが「四国水族館」（香川県宇多津町）だ。多くの水族館が自慢する珍しい生き物がおらず、見学順路も来館者におまかせ。
魚の生態を紹介する「魚名板」も見当たらない。代わりに置かれるのが職員が一枚一枚イラストやコメントを書き込む「黒板アート解説板」。子供にも分かりやすく人気を集める。
館長の松沢慶将（よしまさ）さん（５３）は「珍しい生物を展示するよりも、四国の水景を見てほしい」と話す。
水槽やプールには「景」と名付けたテーマを掲げて個性をアピールする。
「渦潮の景」は、鳴門の渦潮を再現した水槽で、四国４県を代表する魚たちを楽しむことができる。
「夕暮れの景」は瀬戸内海に沈む夕日とイルカの調和が神秘的だ。写真を撮る人、静かに海を見つめる人、豊かな自然に包まれたゆったりした時間が流れていく。
令和３年１０月、神戸にオープンしたのが劇場型アクアリウム「アトア（áｔｏａ）」だ。アートと水族館の融合をコンセプトに「精霊の森」や「奇跡の惑星」など、世界観の異なるブースが広がる。
レーザーやスポットライトに照らされ魚たちが舞う。デジタルアートが生み出す世界は、今まで体験したことのない驚きの連続で、水族館のイメージを超えたおもしろさ。
コンセプトは異なるが、「生き物に興味を持ってほしい」という両館の思いは変わらない。進化し続ける全国の水族館。あなたはどこに行かれますか。