Art gets a bit more aquatic in this new museum!

Fish are the easiest pets in the world to keep. They don’t make any noise or keep you up at night. They don’t poop on your lap. You don’t need to take them for walks or buy them fancy food to keep them happy. Plus, watching them swim around their tank can feel so… refreshing.

But sometimes, watching a couple of fish in a tank just doesn’t feel enough. Sometimes, one is struck with the overwhelming urge to watch about 30,000 fish gliding around a huge tank!

For such fish fanatics, or just people who enjoy looking at art instillations, the Art Aquarium in Nihonbashi, Tokyo may be the perfect place for you. The Art Aquarium has been touring around Japan for a while now, and has been hugely popular not just in Japan but also overseas.

Up until now it’s been a strictly seasonal event, but good news, fish fans! In August it will become a permanent attraction. Much like Japan’s popular interactive exhibits by TeamLab, the attraction will be a must-see for any self respecting Instagrammer.

Over 30,000 goldfish will be displayed in the museum, ranging from your run of the mill pet-shop goldfish to rare goldfish.

The exhibits on display will change depending on the season, and the food and drinks on offer in the museum cafe will also differ depending on the time of year. Although the exhibit has been running for fourteen years, up until now it has only been open during the summer, so this is a good chance for veteran Art Aquarium fans to get a new experience.

The permanent exhibit area is roughly three times bigger than previous exhibits, with a new area called Oiran Douchu (meaning “courtesan procession”), based on an Edo period right light district. There’s also the “Goldfish Forest”, where pillars filled with water and goldfish are lined up to look like a forest.

▼ Looks like a forest you’d like to get lost in!

Other attractions include the Infinitrium, with 40 triangular aquariums joined together; the Earth Aquarium Japonism, a circular tank filled with colourful koi fish made to represent Earth as seen from space; and the Lotusism, a giant lotus motif with goldfish swimming inside, said to represent overcoming hardships to become something fleeting yet beautiful.

▼ The Earth Aquarium Japonsim

▼ The Super Oiran. The 3,000 goldfish inside are said to represent the ephemeral beauty of the women in the Edo period’s geisha district.

For those who may have missed the exhibit during its previous runs throughout Japan, this will be the perfect chance to get your fishy fill. The exhibit will officially open in August, and although the exact date has yet to be confirmed it will be announced some time this month.

If you can’t wait until August, you can order your own mini Art Aquarium to enjoy at home, although squeezing 30,000 goldfish in it might be a bit tough!

Location information
Art Aquarium
Address: Tōkyō-to, Chuo-ku, Nihonbashihonchō 1-3
東京都中央区日本橋本町1丁目3
Website

Images: Pakutaso
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