Aquaria

With over 100 locationss, Japan has more than 1/3 of the world's aquariums. All but one of 47 prefectures has such a facility. This series investigates the intersection of nostalgia, humour and pathos, childhood memories and compassion.

Aquaria is a journey into some of my oldest, most treasured childhood memories. When I would visit my grandparents in the coastal city of Otaru in Hokkaido, my grandfather, a high school teacher and an enormous influence in my life, would take me to the aquarium.

We would observe the gentle “flight” of the sea turtles, the silky-smooth movements of cruising sharks, and the alien-like appearance of jellyfish. Particularly memorable were the dynamic dolphin and sea lion shows set to the popular rock music of the time. I was blissfully unaware of the moral dilemmas of keeping mammals in captivity.

These days, the question of the animals’ well-being is very much on my mind, but I also see the joy of the young boys and girls at aquariums today, and like a looking glass through time, I recall the pure and happy times I spent with my beloved grandfather.

As of 2019, of the approximately 400 aquariums in the world, 150 were located in Japan. Given the country’s aging demographics, this does not seem sustainable, even as aquariums attempt to shift their existential purpose toward conservation, animal rescue and education. Since then, there has been a decline, with a number of closures coming out of the pandemic. Perhaps aquariums will go the way of the circus one day, logged in our history books as an outdated form of entertainment, but for now, in Japan, they remain immensely popular.

As Winogrand explored the interactions between people and beasts in his seminal book The Animals, I am interested in the human element that seeks to exploit our curiosities by putting these underwater creatures on display, and also in how sometimes we are left wondering if the animals view us as the strange bipeds on the other side of the acrylic. The Japanese design elements and aesthetics add to the surreal mood of these created worlds, and we view these scenes at the intersection of fond nostalgia, genuine fascination, and uncomfortable empathy.

This series is on month 47 of a 100-month long feature column 100 Views of Japanese Aquaria for the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper in Japan.