Interest
Cool Down This Summer at Shigeru Mizuki's Ghostly Aquarium Event
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Japan is already getting Mr. Osomatsu and Splatoon 2 aquarium collaborations this summer. Not to be left out of the pop culture collaboration boom, Tokyo's Sumida Aquarium announced on June 15 that it will collaborate with the late manga creator Shigeru Mizuki (GeGeGe no Kitarō, NonNonBâ, Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths) to hold the "Mizuki Shigeru x Sumida Suizokukan Mizu no Yōkai Tunnel" (Shigeru Mizuki x Sumida Aquarium Water Ghoul Tunnel) event this summer.
The aquarium's "Jellyfish Kaleidoscope Tunnel" will become the "Water Ghoul Tunnel" during the collaboration. Eight of Mizuki's Kurage no Hinotama (jellyfish-shaped fireballs similar to will-o'-the-wisps) will appear underwater amongst real jellyfish. Nine of Mizuki's yōkai will also feature inside the tanks and on nearby walls. The ghosts, ghouls, and monsters will include Kappa (amphibian-like creature that dwell in rivers), Ōtako no Ashi (large octopus tentacles), Bake-Kujira (skeletal ghost whale), Kurage no Hinotama, Kingyo no Yūrei (ghost goldfish), and other water spirits. The area will have dim lighting, creepy sound effects, and two separate afternoon and evening smells developed for the project.
The collaboration will feature a photo spot with GeGeGe no Kitarō characters. When people take flash photographs in front of the art panel, a ghostly image of the Kurage no Hinotama will appear that cannot be seen with the naked eye. In addition, the aquarium's Penguin Cafe will offer a total of 20 Medama-Oyaji Eyeball Parfaits for 500 yen (about US$4) each every day during the event.
The collaboration will run from July 15 to September 10. People will be able to enter the event area with regular admission tickets for the aquarium.
Unlike in the United States, where haunted houses are largely limited to Halloween celebrations, obakeyashiki ("haunted houses") take over Japan in the summer. Japan has a tradition of telling scary stories in the summer, and visiting a bone-chilling haunted house is said to help people cool down in the hot country where air conditioning can be limited. These traditions are also probably linked to the summer Obon holidays, in which people honor their ancestors' spirits through Buddhist rituals.
Source: Comic Natalie
