In the US, aquariums like Sea World try to evoke a natural vibe. Not so in Tokyo. I took the kids to the aquarium at the Prince Hotel complex in Shinagawa, where they have a bunch of tanks and a dolphin show.

The Epson Aqua Stadium is at the foot of this tall building.



Up a long escalator, you come to the aquarium part - tanks with fish, of course, and a long tunnel with sawtooth sharks, an odd leopard-spotted stingray, and some enormous crabs.




Then there's the dolphin show. You walk into this stadium with several hundred seats; the stadium smells kinda...fishy.


And there are dancing girls in neon neoprene.


The aquarium hands out yellow rain slickers to people who sit in the front rows (top photo, which is unfortunately dark). As preparation is everything in Japan, businesslike women in gray suits and black pumps (second photo, center) wait with stacks of towels to hand to the drenched.



To share the actual vibe of a Tokyo aquarium - which is not dissimilar from the overall vibe in the busiest parts of Tokyo - I made some videos with my digital camera; not great quality, but pretty funny.

Here are the dancing girls:



I tried to upload the grand finale: a dolphin show on speed with music that sounds like an overjuiced record player and lyrics that are all about "joy and harmony." Seriously. But the uploading isn't working properly, so I'd rather post than wait on it.