Solo Trip Nagoya (August 2023) - Aquarium Part 3 Performances

 

 I saved the best for last! The performances. My very first actually! I've never seen such a show before. And look at the venue! The sky was so beautiful that day! And I was there early, waiting for the show to start. Eating was allowed, so I had my snacks and drinks here while waiting. Reading the wordings on the display to practise my Japanese. I mainly watched the 2nd half of the show in the afternoon, hoping that the majority of people would have been there in the morning and have left. It wasn't too crowded.

In the morning, I had wandered into the venue as well, but watching from the side. There were different separate pools apart from the main one. And the dolphins and orca was housed there when they were not performing. You could actually get quite closed up to them. 

Before going up to the pool, just below, was the exhibition on the great creatures of the sea. 

The section I liked best was how these creatures blend into the Japanese folklores and legend. Often being feared by the fishermen. I love the old style drawings of the whale. And when you think of Godzilla, you can't help but think of the whale (Kujira) too cause they sounded so much alike. 

Dolphins were also featured in the exhibition. Above are some drawings of them from the past.

Besides seeing the creatures in their pool, you could also view them from below via the tank display. Actually when you enter the aquarium, these are the tank display that you will encounter first. And it does give a very good impression of the place! Cause these were huge creatures! And to see them swimming so effortlessly and sometimes, playfully is quite a privilege.

Here is the Orca. I only saw one. This is my first time viewing an Orca in captivity. It looked pretty small as compared to the great big whales in the sea I saw in Australia.

The playful dolphins. We have dolphins in Singapore aquarium too, so it wasn't that big a surprise to see these. 

Back at the pool, the orca performance was done by the sole orca. Not very exciting. But considered that they are wild predators, reduced to a dance monkey, well... You decide.

Here is Orca on ground. 

The dolphin who was a lot more energetic. Seeing so many swimming around in the big pool doing their tricks was fun and interesting. 

Dolphin on ground

Some videos of the dolphins from underwater. This was somehow my most popular video on YouTube. Guess people love dolphins?

A short performance of the dolphins to end the aquarium post. 

Is it ethical to visit an aquarium? I still don't know. I try to avoid them if I can. But sometimes, going to them lets you appreciate them more too. So I am conflicted about it. Perhaps a safari is better than a zoo. A whale watching session is better than an aquarium. But how many people can afford those? How many kids can be inspired by these creatures if they can't even afford to see them in real life? Again. You decide.