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.

Out with Umi class

To celebrate the end of the school year, Arno's Willowbrook School class - Umi (Ocean) class - went to an aquarium for a field trip. I hadn't been to this one before, so it was a new tourist experience, too.

We took the bus and a long taxi ride to Shinagawa Suizokukan (Shinagawa Aquarium), a relatively small attraction near Tokyo Harbor. It has a dolphin show and a passel of enormous ugly fish. Admission is 1,100 yen ($11) for adults, $6 for elementary age, and free for children under 4.



This is not Sea World. It's slightly fishy-smelling and fairly packed with schoolchildren.


Having said that, it's a decent place to spend a few hours with a bunch of cheerful 3-year-olds. Arno and his friends checked out some massive, hideous, lumpy gray fish, and the tragic 20-penguin exhibit.



The dolphin show lasts about 25 minutes, with two dolphins leaping around in a small, deep pool at the request of two trainers. Unlike at Sea World, there's a total lack of pretense that the dolphins are living a semi-natural life. Just like the rest of us in Tokyo, the dolphins are surrounded by concrete.

Before the show, Arno and two of his Umi friends, Fflur and Ceinwyn, entertained themselves as a dolphin swam by.


We sat in the front row "splash zone" and felt a few drops but nothing serious.


It was okay fun.