Aquamarine Fukushima (アクアマリンふくしま)

Aquamarine Fukushima, which is officially called Marine Science Museum, located in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture (which is about 200km north from Tokyo). I had been interested in this facility since I heard the concept of exhibitions. I finally went there on Sunday by a car.
One-day trip is possible and we did, but I think it is too far to enjoy driving without fatigue although we can see variety of sceneries of Japanese country side such as rice fields in the Kanto Plain (which is the widest plain fields in Japan), rivers, mountains, the Pacific Ocean, suburban apartment complexes and power plant and factories.
The museum is along the coast near Onahama Port. The building is modern and well-lit, and about 1,200 species living in or near the water are there. Those of them are not rare, actually, but they are quite interesting as the exhibits.
One of the highlights is a large aquarium representing Kuroshio (strong western boundary current in the western north Pacific Ocean). What in the aquarium is ordinary fishes like katsuo (a kind of tuna or bonito), aji (a kind of mackerel) and iwashi (a kind of pilchard or anchovy), all of which are frequently eaten in Japan. However, it is fascinating to see school of iwashi swimming in water keeping out of katsuo. For small fishes like iwashi, katsuo is the predator; so that the number of small fish is decreased predation by katsuo even though the staff feed them regularly. I heard thousands of iwashi are replenished every 6 months.
My friend and I joined the guided tour introducing the behind the aquarium by volunteer guides. The participants can see not only the behind of an aquarium but also the septic system and some stuffed animals. The commentary wasn't special because it is basically for children, but the tour course was quite amusing for adults.
---
福島県いわき市にある、アクアマリンふくしま。この水族館のコンセプトに非常に興味があって、一度行ってみたいと思っていたのですが、ようやくこの日曜日に車で行ってきました。
東京から日帰り旅行をすることは出来る距離だし、実際私も日帰りだったのですが、ちょっと長旅になるので疲れます。
施設は小名浜港近くの海岸沿いにあります。中には1200種類以上の動植物がいますが、どれもそれほど珍しいものではありません。ですが展示としては非常に面白く出来上がっています。
目玉の一つが黒潮水槽です。ここにはカツオやアジやイワシなど、日本の食卓にも上がるようなごく普通の魚しかいませんが、イワシの群れがカツオを避けて泳いでいる様などが見られます。わざと捕食関係にある魚を同じ水槽に入れて、海の中での様子を見せようとしているわけです。そのため餌を与えていてもイワシの数は減っていくそうで、スタッフの方の話によると、半年に一度くらいは何千匹かのイワシを補充しなくてはならないとのことです。
ボランティアガイドによるバックヤード・ツアーというのにも参加してきました。参加者は水槽の裏側を見たり、浄化槽や剥製や骨標本を見ることができます。解説は基本的に子ども向けのツアーなので、取り立てて興味深い内容ではありませんが、ツアーのルートは大人でも十分楽しめると思います。