World's Biggest Goldfish Aquarium - Art Aquarium Tokyo

Hi everyone, welcome back. Today we have come to Art Aquarium in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, which opened recently on August 28th. You know, they've been holding a similar exhibition here every year since 2007, but it's been so popular that they finally turned it into a permanent exhibition. Right, I heard more than 10 million visit their special exhibitions, so I must say I have a high expectation. Yeah, me too. And you know, I read on the website there's over 30,000 goldfish here housed in beautiful handcrafted tanks. So, I'm pretty excited to go check it out. Let's dive in. As this aquarium is now permanent, it's had a little upgrade in size compared to previous iterations. Broken up into several areas, each one has a unique theme with bold displays of colour and light. It became apparent very quickly why this building has been dubbed the Art Aquarium. This exhibit is the vision of artist Hidetomo Kimura, who sees fish as living works of art. In the Art Aquarium, his aim was to combine the beauty of nature with the elegance and spectacle often associated with art. Kimura thinks that koi fish and goldfish especially are an integral part of Japanese waterscapes. It is generally believed that goldfish were introduced to Japan from China in 1502, during the middle of the Muromachi period, but were mostly owned as exotic pets by aristocrats. Their popularity booms during the Edo era and have remained a big hit amongst Japanese people ever since. Right after entering the building, we were welcomed by the Zen Aquarium, which is based around the concept of moving Japanese paintings. Goldfish appear quite often in traditional Japanese art, but seeing them come to life like this is certainly a unique experience and elevates the definition of what might be considered as art. Some of the designs here are almost hypnotic, like this psychedelic set of tanks that are intersected by a series of kaleidoscope-style prisms. Peering into the centre creates a perfect image of symmetry and balance, but one that is also constantly changing as the fish move. Up next is the area called Sekitei, which means rock garden in Japanese, as opposed to traditional rock gardens in Japan that do not use water, these tanks represent large stones with goldfish swimming inside, which expresses a totally new style of rock garden, or Sekitei, in Japan. Located amongst these glass stones is perhaps an even more impressive glass lantern, which takes its shape from those found at Shinto shrines all across the country. One thing you've probably noticed so far is just how unbelievably Instagrammable this place is. Seriously, I couldn't see a single person without a phone in their hand snapping a photo. It also seems like a popular date spot, with uncountable boys being roped in to taking endless amounts of photos for their girlfriend's social media. In the next room is the biggest display in the art aquarium. Named Super Oiran, it features an enormous, ornate goldfish bowl in the centre, surrounded by 17 smaller tanks, in total housing as many as 3,000 goldfish. The term Oiran was used mainly during the Edo period, and referred to highly sought after courtesans, who were well known for their beauty and social status. This area seeks to recreate the image of their allure and grace. To make the most out of your visit, we'd also recommend you take an audio guide, as each installation is accompanied by an interesting backstory, which you'll be able to hear as you make your way around. After the first few rooms of utter extravagance, you'll find yourself in a smaller corridor entitled Kingyo Himpyo. The simplicity here is a stark contrast to the other displays seen so far, but these were arguably the best tanks for viewing the goldfish up close, with a completely unobstructed view. There are no lids on top of the tanks, which allows you to enjoy viewing from both horizontal and vertical perspectives. In Japanese, Himpyo means evaluation, and these minimalistic tanks certainly allow you to do just that. Perhaps for me, one of the most striking designs was the Earth Aquarium, a perfectly spherical tank that takes inspiration from our own planet. Take a closer look at the glass, and you'll also be able to see a map of the world has been etched onto the outer surface. Inhabiting this giant globe are around 30 koi carp, which you can see through a cascade of water flowing down from the top. To further imitate the Earth, the sphere also rotates slowly, as if it were a planet turning on its axis. And finally, you'll make your way into the last area of the aquarium, the Forest of Goldfish. Several cylindrical tanks are scattered throughout the room like tree trunks. As you walk between them, the colours change and pulsate. It's difficult not to feel mesmerised, as your senses are overloaded. On your way to the exit on the second floor, you'll also be able to enjoy a wide view of the forest from above. Overall, the Art Aquarium is an easy recommendation as a nice, low-paced activity to escape the often overwhelming hustle and bustle of Tokyo. If you enjoyed this video, then be sure to give it a thumbs up, and subscribe to RyuTokyo for new videos every single week. Thank you for watching, and we'll see you again in the next video.