Enjoy the immersive feeling of being in the ocean! We held an event to celebrate the renewal of the "Kyo no umi" large aquarium.

The "The Sea of Kyoto" area, which recreates the rich seas of Kyoto, was opened in 2016. The large "The Sea of Kyoto" aquarium, which holds approximately 500 tons of water, displays approximately 50 species of animals, recreating the richness of The Sea of Kyoto.
The "The Sea of Kyoto" large tank has been given a new lease of life. This time, we will introduce how to enjoy the newly renovated large tank and report on the commemorative event.

■The "The Sea of Kyoto" large aquarium area has been renovated!
At the end of December 2023, the space for viewing the large "The Sea of Kyoto" aquarium tank was reborn.
On the first floor, there are sofas of various shapes and sizes that are inspired by the rocks of the sea off Kyoto. Depending on where you sit, the view of the large aquarium changes, allowing you to lose track of time as you gaze upon it.

In addition to the newly installed rock-shaped sofa, the floor of the first floor is decorated with a fantastical video effect that recreates the way light shines in from the sea surface and the rippling of the water. You can enjoy the immersive feeling of peering into the world of animals from within the sea, and fully appreciate the world of The Sea of Kyoto.
Find your favorite spot and enjoy observing the animals from various angles.

Visual effects that let you feel the rippling of water

■Wednesday, February 21st: Talk session to think about the animals and nature of Kyoto's ocean <br />To commemorate this renewal, we held four events where people could learn about Kyoto's ocean and animals and enjoy the renewed space.

The first event was a talk session to consider Kyoto's ocean and animals. The guest speaker was Professor Reiji Masuda, director of the Maizuru Fisheries Research Station at Kyoto University, who conducts underwater surveys and observes a wide variety of animals, primarily in Maizuru Bay, Miyazu Bay, and the waters off the Fukui coast. Kawa-chan, a popular fish guy among children, also served as facilitator, and together with Masaki Kawasaki, deputy director of Kyoto Aquarium, they spoke about Kyoto's ocean and animals.

Professor Masuda dives into Maizuru Bay twice a month to observe the animals and natural environment. After about 20 years of conducting these surveys, he said he has noticed a change in the ocean, noting that animals that live in the warm southern seas, such as rabbitfish, black porgy, and lionfish, have been increasing in numbers in the waters off Kyoto.
The "The Sea of Kyoto" large tank also displays a collection of animals, mainly from the seas of Tango. In order to let people know that the animals that can be seen change over time, the animals on display in the large tank also change from time to time. During the talk session, Deputy Director Kawasaki gave an explanation of the animals , focusing on recently brought-in animals such as the Ishigaki pufferfish and cedar.
Finally, under the theme of "What can we do?", Professor Masuda spoke about the importance of learning about and being interested in the ocean and animals. He then said that if people are interested in the ocean and animals, they should actually visit the ocean.
It was a valuable opportunity to hear about the changes in the ocean.

From left to right: Deputy Director Kawasaki, Professor Masuda Reiji, and Kawa-chan the fish guy.

■Saturday, February 24th: Let's go with Kawa-chan, the fish guy! Observing the ocean's animals
Following on from the event on the 21st, we invited Kawa-chan, the fish guy, to hold a participatory event where he, together with our museum's deputy director, Mr. Kawasaki, explained about the animals in the large " The Sea of Kyoto " tank.
The event began with a reading of "Urashima Taro," a legendary story from northern Kyoto Prefecture. In the large " The Sea of Kyoto " aquarium, where a wide variety of animals swim leisurely, children were given an explanation about the animals that interested them.
For example, the spotted stingray is a fish with a large tail fin and two small fins, but when swimming it does not use the large tail fin much, instead moving the small fins skillfully.The Pitted stingray also has a poisonous spine on its tail that is saw-shaped and difficult to remove once it has pierced the fish.
The participants listened attentively to the explanation of the ecology of these animals, nodding in agreement. Furthermore, when Kawa-chan, the fish man, asked a quiz about animals, many children raised their hands and actively participated.
Approximately 200 guests participated in the event, which ended on a high note.

The fish Kawa-chan is pointing at is a red-circled tangfish.

After the event, Kawa-chan will hold an autograph session.

■Sunday, February 25th: Mini-theater "Kai-kun's Search" by Theater Company Satellite
On Sunday, February 25th, the final day of the three-day holiday, a mini-theater called "Kai-kun's Search" was performed, a digital picture-story show that taught about the animals living in Kyoto's oceans and the problems occurring in the ocean.
The story is about the main character, Kai-kun, who is enchanted and swims through the ocean, meeting animals such as Pitted stingray and cat sharks. In the story, Kai-kun is attacked by something that looks very similar to a jellyfish. This is not a jellyfish, but actually a plastic bag. The play conveyed that plastic bags, which should not be in the ocean, are drifting in the ocean due to littering and other reasons, posing a danger to animals.
At the end of the event, the audience was given three questions to review the story. Both children and adults participated, and it was a fun time learning about the marine environment and animals.

A performance of "Kai-kun's Search"

■ String quartet concert held on Sunday, March 10th The final event of the renewal commemorative events was a string quartet concert by Quartet Clarte, four members of the Faculty of Music at Kyoto City University of Arts. This time, to commemorate their performance at Kyoto Aquarium, they performed songs with a sea theme. The songs were "Under the Sea: The Little Mermaid," "A Town with a Sea View," "Pirates of the Caribbean: He's a Pirate," and "Ponyo on the Cliff." Many customers stopped in their tracks to listen to the familiar tunes.
The entertaining performance prompted an encore, with a re-performance of "Pirates of the Caribbean: He's a Pirate," one of the most popular songs of the four, and the concert came to a close.
(This event was held as part of the "Umekoji Park and Kyoto Station Area Spring Music Festival," which was held in the Umekoji Park and Kyoto Station area from March 2nd (Sat) to March 20th (Wed, national holiday).)

String quartet performance

■Finally , thank you to everyone who participated in the four events at the ``The Sea of Kyoto'' large aquarium.
In the newly renovated "The Sea of Kyoto" large tank, we hope you will enjoy the space that makes you feel as if you are in the ocean, while viewing the wide variety of animals in the tank to your heart's content. The animals in the " The Sea of Kyoto " large tank recreate the seas of Kyoto at any given time. You can view the tank up close, or stand back a little and enjoy the whole view. Sit wherever you like and enjoy new discoveries every time you visit.
Please come experience the richness of the " The Sea of Kyoto" and be sure to visit the real Kyoto sea.
★For details on the renewal of the "The Sea of Kyoto" large aquarium area, click here