During the Neo break I spent two days in Kobe. One of the places I visited is an aquarium called “Atoa”. The concept of Atoa is an aquarium combined with an art museum. Their website describes it as a ‘theatrical aquarium’. It opened last year, and it has already been getting a lot of attention. Usually, I am not the biggest fan of art museums, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Atoa is near Sannomiya, and it is not too hard to get to. The aquarium is divided into different rooms with various themes. Some are more general, some are unique. There was a room which had a nature theme and included many mammals, not only sea animals. There was also a room with a Japanese theme featuring carp, goldfish, and turtles. The rooms are designed to look like art pieces, and this makes the experience something quite special. It is a great place to take many photos. It can be hard to take good pictures of fish tanks, but the art displays make it a lot more photogenic than a regular aquarium.
If you find yourself in the Kobe area, Atoa is a great way to spend two hours or so. It is not too expensive either. There are many kinds of animals and art displays to enjoy there. And if you go at night, you can experience some great new views of the Kobe port area.
