Iki Iruka Park in Nagasaki Prefecture is undergoing renovation and is set to reopen on April 25 with new facilities and programs.
Iki Iruka Park first opened in 1995. Located in the city of Iki on the island of Iki, the park enjoys up to 20,000 visitors a year. Its reopening will see a new cafe space open where the park will be open from morning time, something rarely seen on the island of Iki. The cafe menu will include items never before served in Iki such as pancakes from VERY FANCY®―a shop in Tokyo―as well as açaí bowls using local fruits and more. There will also be food served with local produce such as Iki brand beef, seasonal ingredients and so on. In the future the park hopes to be open at dinner time too as well as serve alcohol such as the Iki shochu from the shochu brewery that opened last year.
The new Iki Iruka Park will make full use of the surrounding natural environment for visitors to come into contact with the dolphins more, swim with them, and experience what it’s like to be a trainer amongst other activities. There will also be a special 1-night stays for 1 person where they get to spend 24 hours with the dolphins.
Information
Iki Iruka Park
Address: Katsumotocho Higashifure, Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture
Opening Hours: Weekdays 9:30-17:30 / Weekends & Holidays 9:30-17:00
Website: http://www.ikiparks.com/iruka
Price
Non-Residents General ¥500 / Junior High School Students and below ¥250
Residents: Free (Citizen Card Required)
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Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has made waves around the world since performing at Coachella, one of the world’s largest music festivals, in April. Currently embarking on the second half of her 10th anniversary 31-show nationwide tour, the singer is gaining momentum as she aims for her solo concert at Nippon Budokan in October. As part of her tour, the singer has continued to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities with the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project. At each tour location, the artist collaborates with a local company, creating special collaboration logos and products that have become the talk of social media. Details of Kyary’s collab project in Nagasaki have been revealed after the artist performed in the prefecture on July 18. In Nagasaki, the artist will collaborate with Hamburger Shop Hikari, a beloved local restaurant that originally opened in 1951. Sasebo burgers are well known in Japan, and all ingredients are sourced from Sasebo City in Nagasaki. These burgers are much larger than the burgers you may be used to and have become a local delicacy throughout the country. After the war, a U.S. military base was established in Sasebo. The recipe for the Sasebo burger is said to have originated from a recipe found on this base in the 1950s. The collaboration with Hamburger Shop Hikari, known as the origin of these famous burgers, pays tribute to Kyary’s new single Maybe Baby. The adorable visual shows a waitress at the shop delivering tasty burgers in a hurry.
A collaborative T-shirt is also on sale featuring the new logo and the singer’s 10th-anniversary logo. The shirt is available on the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project website for two weeks only starting July 17, so grab one while you can. Information
Nagasaki’s Hamburger Shop Hikari x LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project
Collaboration T-shirt
Price: ¥3,300 (Tax Included)
Where to Buy:
LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project Online Shop (https://store-localpowerjapan.com/)
Sales Period: July 17 – July 30, 2022
https://store-localpowerjapan.com/
Official Site: https://localpowerjapan.com -
UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO, an aquarium inspired by Japanese traditions and legends, opened at Aqua City Odaiba on July 13, 2022. The curious aquarium and art facility is split into five spaces, each based on a particular Japanese legend or tradition. Area 1 - WABISABI
Area 2 - OIRAN Area 3 - MANGEKYO Area 4 - YURAKU Area 5 - RYUGU Virtual Goldfish Scooping This mixture of aquarium and entertainment venue was produced by GA☆KYO. Each of the five spaces invites guests to understand and appreciate a particular part of Japanese traditional culture, as well as to experience the beauty of living things. Come enjoy this unique installation the next time you’re in Tokyo! Information
UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO
Venue: Aqua City Odaiba 3F (1-7-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Official Site: https://uws-gakyo.com -
On July 13, UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO, an aquarium inspired by Japanese traditions and legends, will open at Aqua City Odaiba. Separated into five unique sections, this curious aquarium is located in a shopping complex popular with locals and tourists alike.
UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO will depict five aspects of traditional Japanese life and history: Wabi-sabi, Oiran, Mangekyo (Kaleidoscope), Yuraku, and Ryuugu. These will be explained below if you aren’t familiar. Area
WABISABI Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic in Japanese art centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. In the aquarium, this is shown by using delicate driftwood, bonsai, and crystal. Characteristics of wabi-sabi include asymmetry, simplicity, and roughness. OIRAN An Oiran was a high-ranking courtesan in Japanese history. In this work, goldfish are surrounded by beautiful and enchanting features inspired by these gorgeous women. MANGEKYO Mangekyo is the Japanese word for kaleidoscope. This collaborative work invites viewers into a unique space filled with paintings by Tsuyoshi Nigamushi along with disco balls. You’ll want to snap some trippy pictures! YURAKU This special exhibition invites guests to experience virtual goldfish scooping and fortune-telling. Made using modern technology in a space inspired by Japan’s four seasons, yuraku means pleasure in Japanese. RYUGU Ryuugu refers to the Palace of the Dragon King found in the ancient tale of Urashima Taro. This spatial work will utilize the sea around Odaiba and transport visitors to another place and time. Come enjoy these five unique spaces with your five senses and become more acquainted with traditional Japanese beauty.Information
UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO
Grand Opening on July 13, 2022
Hours: 11:00-21:00
Venue: Aqua City Odaiba 3F (1-7-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Official Site: https://uws-gakyo.com -
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Collaborates with Kochi Prefecture’s Katsurahama Aquarium for LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu concluded her tour stop in Kochi on May 29, and as expected, the singer has announced another collaboration with a local business as part of the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project! Launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities, the project has received both domestic and global attention.In Kochi Prefecture, Kyary is collaborating with the Katsurahama Aquarium! Located on the water at Kochi’s famous Katsurahama Beach park, the location is filled with Kochi flare and remains a valuable and beloved place to local residents. The building has long been popular as a museum and has been both a tourist attraction and a local hangout for decades. Known affectionately by locals as ‘Hamasui,’ the 99-year-old structure has often been a hot topic for its unique advertising strategy, with Hamasui Twitter posts going viral and making their way to late-night TV programs. For the collaboration, the aquarium’s cute creepy-crawly mascot Otodo-chan has been transformed as an homage to Kyary’s music video for PONPONPON released in 2011. A collaborative T-shirt is also on sale featuring the new logo and the singer’s 10th-anniversary logo. The shirt is available on the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project website for two weeks only starting May 27! Information
Katsurahama Aquarium (Kochi) x LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project
Collaboration T-shirt
Price: ¥3,300 (Tax Included)
Where to Buy: Katsurahama Aquarium
Details: https://katurahama-aq.jp/
LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project Online Shop
Available: May 27 – June 9 at 23:59
https://store-localpowerjapan.com/
*Please allow two weeks to one month from order completion to product shipment.
*A portion of T-shirt sales will be donated to local projects and social programs.
*Please check the online shop for details. -
Tokyo’s Sumida Aquarium welcomed three new baby Magellanic penguins on April 14! This marks the 10th year in a row that the location has seen new baby penguins born. Magellanic penguins start their breeding season in March each year, finishing in May. The first baby born this year, Daifuku, hatched on April 14, becoming Sumida Aquarium’s first second-generation penguin. Komari hatched on April 20 and Shiratama hatched on April 30. The penguins were given names signifying good luck and joy. Komari and Shiratama both evoke images of ‘circles’ in Japanese, with the aquarium hoping that the penguins will sever as a link to guests. All three babies will make their public debut towards the end of June in the designated penguin pool. The Sumida Aquarium Twitter feed will provide updates about how the babies are progressing, so be sure to keep an eye out!
Information
Sumida Aquarium
10th Anniversary Celebrations: May 22 – December 31, 2022
Special Site: https://www.sumida-aquarium.com/10th/ -
Tokyo’s Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa has opened its seasonal event NAKED FLOWER AQUARIUM -Bring You Happiness- until June 19, 2022. The aquarium has been continuously developing entertaining exhibits and events based on the beauty of each season. The creative company NAKED uses projection mapping to transform the space with cherry blossoms in spring and fireworks in summer, allowing guests to enjoy a special atmosphere indoors.
Welcome Flower Gate
Marine Forest
Blooming Street
Jellyfish Ramble
Floral Café Bar
For spring, the Aqua Park has been decorated with gorgeous flowers and lush greenery. The new event uses state-of-the-art technology to surround visitors with a spectacular view of early summer. Each area of the aquarium was inspired by the subtheme of ‘bringing happiness,’ with seven different Happiness Experiences for guests to enjoy. These experiences offer things like healing sound effects and scents made to calm the mind and offer additional immersion. The popular dolphin performance has both a day and night show. The day version offers guest participation, in which the dolphins will show off their choreographed moves. The night version was inspired by the early summer sea and uses projection mapping to bring the underwater world to life in a spectacular way.Information
NAKED FLOWER AQUARIUM-Bring You Happiness-
Venue: Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa
Address: Shinagawa Prince Hotel (4-10-30 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Official Site: www.aqua-park.jp