Former School Building in Japan Thriving as Aquarium

Muroto, Kochi Pref., Nov. 3 (Jiji Press)--A former elementary school building in a sparsely populated area in western Japan is thriving as an aquarium, with its cumulative visitors topping 100,000 as of Tuesday, about six months after its opening. Closed as a schoolhouse 12 years ago, the three-story building in the Pacific Ocean city of Muroto, Kochi Prefecture, was transformed into an aquarium with investment totaling some 500 million yen from the city government and others. The city government had projected the annual number of visitors at some 40,000 for the aquarium, located in the country's fifth least populated city, with just 13,800 people. The aquarium is now drawing attention from across the country as a successful example of utilizing a school that was once abolished due to depopulation, as a way to revive communities. At the top of the staircase after the reception desk, the hallway is lined with glass display tanks housing fish such as sea bream and moray eel. Fish display tanks are also installed at former classrooms. A former sink for hand-washing is now a popular spot where people can touch sea cucumber and starfish. On a recent day, a child was enjoying the creatures, saying, "This is squishy." A 25-meter outdoor swimming pool is now occupied by large sea turtles and sharks. The aquarium keeps about one hundred kinds of sea creatures, most caught and provided by local fishers. Besides its sea creatures, the place is popular for the features that give visitors the impression that the building is a former schoolhouse. Some former classrooms contain small desks and chairs. In the former science laboratory, a human anatomy model and fish preserved in formalin are on display. Some visitors were seen reading books in the library or playing the piano. Rinka Moriki, 11, of Saijo, Ehime Prefecture, was playing shogi with three family members in one of the rooms. "I want a school like this," she said. Many local residents initially doubted whether anybody would come to an aquarium in an area with no train stations or expressways. Motoki Wakatsuki, the 43-year-old head of the aquarium, overcame opposition from the city assembly before the aquarium finally opened. "I want (the aquarium) to become a catalyst for people to come to Muroto," he said. END