or Where The Other Half Who Weren’t Chasing Pokemon Were in Tokyo This Weekend

While a portion of Tokyo took the first weekend since the Pokemon Go launch to track them down, there were quite a few others attending the 5th Art Aquarium display in Nihonbashi. It’s part of the Eco Edo Nihonbashi 10 year anniversary which spans two months (until 25 September). Now that’s how to have an anniversary!

The entire event combines the Edo era and “kingyo”, also known as “goldfish”. Kingyo arrived from China in 1502 and significantly evolved, with human intervention, over this time. They do have something in common with Pokemon.

Initially a luxury item of the samurai and rich merchants, they were used to beautify watering holes before they became common in the wider population to then adorn everything from kimonos to furniture. Also similar to Pokemon.

Waiting for entrance to the Art Aquarium is only for the patient or those who are easily distracted by other things. Also like waiting for Pokemon Go to launch. Entrance is 11am so I arrived at 10.30am, knowing there would be a queue for tickets. The line game is very well played in Japan with people being very polite, no pushing and general chatting. This is actually the first time I’ve heard a significant amount of people-related noise in one place. Where I joined, the queue already snaked over 400 meters and it wasn’t long until it doubled again. Not too much longer still and I couldn’t see the end of it.

Lotusrium

When 11am rolled around, those at the front of the queue were given laminated instruction cards to take to the fourth floor to then buy their tickets. I waited another 15 minutes before my instruction card was issued and made my way up the various sets of escalators to then join another queue.

No server crashed in the purchase of the ticket.

My JPY1,000 ticket in hand, I went up another set of escalators to exchange my ticket for darkness, flurescent lighting, ambient music, a lot of Perspex, mirrors, projections, roughly 500 people and of course, goldfish.

The crowd was now disorganized and free to meander between the various displays which were spread through a hallway, up and down narrow steps and two larger open areas about the size of five tennis courts. This is why they limit the numbers entering.

Sake sponsored

The named aquariums symbolise various things as well as highlighting the artistry of Hidetomo Kimura, the Artist / Producer. These included the Lotusrium which is a four meter lotus (another symbol of summer) which blooms for four days; the Paradoxrium, which has no vertical surfaces so it plays tricks with your eyes and depending where you stand, the size of the fish change; Earth Aquarium Japonism which has a rotating earth of 1.5 meter diameter with goldfish swimming, then other tanks underneath filled with multicolored goldfish. The tanks themselves changing color to represent the way the earth look from space.

Signage explains the fish are all fed a nutritious diet, are well cared for and tanks well maintained, with staff staying up all night to make sure everything is fine for the goldfish.

A child-free evening event, where DJs play their latest tunes and alcoholic beverages are served starts at 7pm most nights.

It’s all quite impressive and quite amazing though not my cup of green tea.

Had there been a few less people in the venue, I may have enjoyed it more. If some of the goldfish weren’t so freaky looking, that may also help. I think I’m a traditionalist when it comes to goldfish.

Same as Pokemon.

* Thanks to Mr Scruff for the title to this post. If this was an instrumental tune, this would be very similar to the music played at the venue while I was there.