We had some time to kill before the next dolphin show and we were all ready for lunch. After getting ours hands stamped for re-entry and heading out into the sunny, crisp autumn afternoon we could have continued back to our respective cars to find a good sushi place. But from the aquarium, one need not hop in the car our any other transportation to reach a nice place to spend some time and find good restaurants. We decided to walk along the boardwalk towards Dolphin Port. Dolphin Port is a seaside shopping pavilion with restaurants and a large park. The walk from the aquarium is quick and easy, lasting some ten or fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace. We knew exactly where to go for sushi. On the lower level near the center is a “kaiten zushi” restaurant we had been to several times before. Kaiten-zushi restaurants are sushi restaurants which serve you via a continuously moving conveyer belt. You can make special requests to one of the chefs or simply take whatever catches your eye as it rolls by. You are charged a set price based on the design on the serving plate. Every different design has a different price. This style of sushi restaurant is popular with all people due to their variety, convenience, and low prices compared to traditional (formal) sushi restaurants. Think of them as something like a sushi deli. This restaurant’s name is “Mekkemon”. I think they serve the best salmon at any kaiten-zushi in Kagoshima.
As it was the lunch hour they were rather packed, but people are always rotating out, so our wait wasn’t very long. Having four children with us, we naturally opted for a table instead of the bar area. We were lucky to be seated at the end of the line, nearest the kitchen. That meant that the sushi passing by was the freshest on the belt. There is also free green tea which we immediately enjoyed and free refills at the juice bar if you like. As we filled ourselves on an aquarium’s worth of sushi, the plates formed towers on our table. The boys cannot eat many kinds of sushi yet, but there are many kinds they can. The sushi rolls, fried egg, and shrimp are some of their favorites. There are also cups of fruit, pudding, jell-o, cakes, and several other sweets and treats for anyone not interested in just sushi. As much as I would have liked gorging for the rest of the hour, the children were getting restless and we had a dolphin show to catch. The staff came over and tallied our bill by quickly keying in the different plate prices. The bill was transmitted to the cashier and we settled up. We needed to get back to the aquarium for the dolphin show. Of course it’s best to arrive early to get good seats.
The boys were as anxious about seeing the dolphins as they were about running wild through the park and along the boardwalk. They had received toy ray guns from the cashier at Mekkemon and they ran around zapping everyone and everything. The three of us were just able to herd them back into the aquarium in time.
We then had to convince them to stop zapping the staff and the fish by explaining that real live dolphins were just up ahead. Perhaps they thought dolphins would make better targets or perhaps they felt the thrill of the swelling crowd, because they raced past the gift shops (yep, right past the toys) and into the dolphin pool area. I gathered the boys up, one under each arm and was lucky to find some good seats somewhat close to the action. I thought it was a good idea not to get too close though. The dolphins make some big splashes and we might get pretty wet.
The show started with the dolphins swimming around while a movie about their lives played on a big screen. It included information on their biological information and characters. Every now and then, one of the trainers would interject some funny or interesting comment and the dolphins would seem to respond with little chirps. At one point there was a multiple choice quiz for the audience. Then the dolphins did their stuff. They performed all the jumps, flips, and spiraling dives expected at any dolphin show. The people in the very front rows ducked and squealed as the waves showered them. A few brave (silly?) children even walked right up to the tank to get a full-on splash. I can assure you that their parents were none too happy about having a waterlogged tyke in tow. I had the boys reined in and besides, they didn’t seem too keen on getting wet. When the official show wrapped up, I suggested that we head to the basement of the pool area. From there you get an underwater view of the dolphins in action. They were very beautiful as they jetted by, just feet away. Sometimes they even seemed to swim slowly past watching us watching them. I was sure to relieve the boys of their ray guns before they got any ideas of starting a war with the dolphins.
Next to the dolphin pool area are the cutest little residents of the aquarium, the sea otters. My son was so taken with the otters that we bought him an otter spoon during his first visit. We decided to make a tradition of buying the kids spoons, forks, and knives with the various animal designs. So, the next stop was the gift shops. One sells mostly locally made snacks made in the shape of various aquatic life forms. There are also some toys, puppets, and stationary. The other shop has stuffed animals, knick-knacks, posters, and the all important utensils. This time around we selected forks in the shape of crabs, with the arms acting as the teeth of the forks, for the boys. For the babies we got his and hers (pink and blue) sparkly sea life spoons.
Well, we were nearing the end of our day at the aquarium. We had two more sections to visit before calling it a day. Just past the gift shops, on the right, are the Amazon and Mangrove displays. The Mangrove tank is a medium-large tank offering a view above and below the waterline. There is also a small strip of muddy shore where crabs and many amphibians bubble and scurry around. From the lowest level, below the waterline, you can see many fish native to the world’s mangrove forests. The Amazon display is a very large tank replicating a section of the Amazon River. The main occupants are an armada of Pirarucu. They are the world’s largest freshwater fish. To give you some idea of their size, there is a life size replica on the wall approximately three meters in length. There is also some good written information and a display case where you can touch the armor-like scales of these ancient fish. I was amused by some of the other creatures in the tank. Of course there are other fish, but there are even lizards and other jungle critters. Adjacent to the Pirarucu tank is one housing another resident of the Amazon River basin; one who must remain separate from his fishy pals, the infamous electric eel. Above his tank is a device which measures his electric discharge. You may be lucky enough to witness one of these discharges. Please do not try to induce one of these discharges by frustrating the eel. And take my word for it, offering him a two year old as bait doesn’t work either.
Our final stop was the touch pool. I’m sure everyone is familiar with touch pools. They are shallow pools filled with benign sea life which children are encouraged to touch. My wife and her friend weren’t interested in touching anything. The boy’s arms were just a little too short to reach. So, I rolled up my sleeve and pulled out all the ubiquitous urchins, sea cucumbers, and starfish that they desired. After petting everything they could, we made sure to use one of the sinks available for washing hands. Please be sure to use them or you will go about the rest of your day smelling like a……well, like a touch pool.
And that, we thought, was the end of our aquarium experience. As we made our way out, we were invited to view the dolphins as they had their daily training. During training, they are released from their tank into a training area in the waters of Kinko Bay. They spend about half an hour in their exercises and receive a generous amount of fish. It was a nice end to the day to see the dolphins swimming outside of their pool. The dolphins clicked what seemed a goodbye and the kids waved and yawned their way back to the cars. We parted with our friends and all four soon went to sleep. No doubt dreaming of dolphins, jellyfish, and giant crabs.
As it was the lunch hour they were rather packed, but people are always rotating out, so our wait wasn’t very long. Having four children with us, we naturally opted for a table instead of the bar area. We were lucky to be seated at the end of the line, nearest the kitchen. That meant that the sushi passing by was the freshest on the belt. There is also free green tea which we immediately enjoyed and free refills at the juice bar if you like. As we filled ourselves on an aquarium’s worth of sushi, the plates formed towers on our table. The boys cannot eat many kinds of sushi yet, but there are many kinds they can. The sushi rolls, fried egg, and shrimp are some of their favorites. There are also cups of fruit, pudding, jell-o, cakes, and several other sweets and treats for anyone not interested in just sushi. As much as I would have liked gorging for the rest of the hour, the children were getting restless and we had a dolphin show to catch. The staff came over and tallied our bill by quickly keying in the different plate prices. The bill was transmitted to the cashier and we settled up. We needed to get back to the aquarium for the dolphin show. Of course it’s best to arrive early to get good seats.
The boys were as anxious about seeing the dolphins as they were about running wild through the park and along the boardwalk. They had received toy ray guns from the cashier at Mekkemon and they ran around zapping everyone and everything. The three of us were just able to herd them back into the aquarium in time.
We then had to convince them to stop zapping the staff and the fish by explaining that real live dolphins were just up ahead. Perhaps they thought dolphins would make better targets or perhaps they felt the thrill of the swelling crowd, because they raced past the gift shops (yep, right past the toys) and into the dolphin pool area. I gathered the boys up, one under each arm and was lucky to find some good seats somewhat close to the action. I thought it was a good idea not to get too close though. The dolphins make some big splashes and we might get pretty wet.
The show started with the dolphins swimming around while a movie about their lives played on a big screen. It included information on their biological information and characters. Every now and then, one of the trainers would interject some funny or interesting comment and the dolphins would seem to respond with little chirps. At one point there was a multiple choice quiz for the audience. Then the dolphins did their stuff. They performed all the jumps, flips, and spiraling dives expected at any dolphin show. The people in the very front rows ducked and squealed as the waves showered them. A few brave (silly?) children even walked right up to the tank to get a full-on splash. I can assure you that their parents were none too happy about having a waterlogged tyke in tow. I had the boys reined in and besides, they didn’t seem too keen on getting wet. When the official show wrapped up, I suggested that we head to the basement of the pool area. From there you get an underwater view of the dolphins in action. They were very beautiful as they jetted by, just feet away. Sometimes they even seemed to swim slowly past watching us watching them. I was sure to relieve the boys of their ray guns before they got any ideas of starting a war with the dolphins.Next to the dolphin pool area are the cutest little residents of the aquarium, the sea otters. My son was so taken with the otters that we bought him an otter spoon during his first visit. We decided to make a tradition of buying the kids spoons, forks, and knives with the various animal designs. So, the next stop was the gift shops. One sells mostly locally made snacks made in the shape of various aquatic life forms. There are also some toys, puppets, and stationary. The other shop has stuffed animals, knick-knacks, posters, and the all important utensils. This time around we selected forks in the shape of crabs, with the arms acting as the teeth of the forks, for the boys. For the babies we got his and hers (pink and blue) sparkly sea life spoons.
Well, we were nearing the end of our day at the aquarium. We had two more sections to visit before calling it a day. Just past the gift shops, on the right, are the Amazon and Mangrove displays. The Mangrove tank is a medium-large tank offering a view above and below the waterline. There is also a small strip of muddy shore where crabs and many amphibians bubble and scurry around. From the lowest level, below the waterline, you can see many fish native to the world’s mangrove forests. The Amazon display is a very large tank replicating a section of the Amazon River. The main occupants are an armada of Pirarucu. They are the world’s largest freshwater fish. To give you some idea of their size, there is a life size replica on the wall approximately three meters in length. There is also some good written information and a display case where you can touch the armor-like scales of these ancient fish. I was amused by some of the other creatures in the tank. Of course there are other fish, but there are even lizards and other jungle critters. Adjacent to the Pirarucu tank is one housing another resident of the Amazon River basin; one who must remain separate from his fishy pals, the infamous electric eel. Above his tank is a device which measures his electric discharge. You may be lucky enough to witness one of these discharges. Please do not try to induce one of these discharges by frustrating the eel. And take my word for it, offering him a two year old as bait doesn’t work either.
Our final stop was the touch pool. I’m sure everyone is familiar with touch pools. They are shallow pools filled with benign sea life which children are encouraged to touch. My wife and her friend weren’t interested in touching anything. The boy’s arms were just a little too short to reach. So, I rolled up my sleeve and pulled out all the ubiquitous urchins, sea cucumbers, and starfish that they desired. After petting everything they could, we made sure to use one of the sinks available for washing hands. Please be sure to use them or you will go about the rest of your day smelling like a……well, like a touch pool.
And that, we thought, was the end of our aquarium experience. As we made our way out, we were invited to view the dolphins as they had their daily training. During training, they are released from their tank into a training area in the waters of Kinko Bay. They spend about half an hour in their exercises and receive a generous amount of fish. It was a nice end to the day to see the dolphins swimming outside of their pool. The dolphins clicked what seemed a goodbye and the kids waved and yawned their way back to the cars. We parted with our friends and all four soon went to sleep. No doubt dreaming of dolphins, jellyfish, and giant crabs.
