New Art Aquarium With 30,000 Graceful Goldfish Opening In Tokyo In 2020

Hidetomo Kimura started off in the retail business of aquarium fish and became an artist who created the first-ever Art Aquarium on earth. The Art Aquarium features Japanese goldfish (also known as kingyo) as living works of art, blending them seamlessly with the country's culture, history, and modern digital art. Kingyo are a staple in Japanese culture and were commonly collected by wealthy merchants in the past.

Since the stunning goldfish exhibition stepped foot in Tokyo back in 2007, it has become an annual summer tradition of Nihonbashi, a vibrant city district in Tokyo, attracting over 10 million visitors over the years. The exhibition has even travelled across the globe, inspiring the people in other cities like Milan and Shanghai.

Kimura's iconic annual exhibition features brilliantly-coloured, graceful fish fluttering around in beautiful glass vessels lit with projections and lights. The stunning display is a treat for the eyes and soul, offering a therapeutic experience that's hard to find elsewhere.

After years of annual exhibitions, the company has decided to open its first permanent Art Aquarium museum in Nihonbashi in August this year! The specially-designed 2,321sqm space will be about 3 times the size of previous exhibitions and will come to life with approximately 30,000 goldfish of various varieties. The interior space and the menu at the museum cafe will even change according to the four seasons.

The Art Aquarium will house aquariums that inject elements of the Japanese culture, including spherical fountains, a huge tank filled with colourful koi fish, and a giant lotus motif vessel. We're especially excited for the "Goldfish Forest" space where there will be pillars filled with water and goldfish gliding in them, lined up to look like a forest! Besides the glittering spectacle of vessels filled with fluttering goldfish, there will also be live performances like traditional Japanese dances in the space.

The brand new Art Aquarium will open officially in August 2020, though the exact date has yet to be confirmed. Let us look forward to the day we get to hop on a plane and walk through this dreamy exhibition in real life soon!