Albino” blue-finned salamander on display! Oriental Zodiac Sign Exhibition at Aquarium átoa

AQUARIUM×ART átoa, a theater-type aquarium in Chuo Ward, Kobe, will hold a Chinese zodiac exhibition “Happy New Year, White Snake Festival” from December 6. The exhibition will run until January 5, 2025.

The exhibition is held in connection with next year’s Chinese zodiac sign “Year of the Snake. Snakes are often mentioned in beliefs, folklore, and proverbs, and among them, the “white snake” is worshipped in many parts of Japan as a messenger of the gods.

Did you know that there is a shrine in your hometown of Kobe that is also associated with the white snake? Wada Shrine in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City, enshrines a “white snake” as a messenger of God, which is enshrined in a mound of snakes.

The exhibition also introduces the shrine. In addition, an albino specimen of the “Aodisho,” a species endemic to Japan and distributed in Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and surrounding islands, will be on display in honor of the Chinese zodiac. The secrets of the white snake and the relationship between Japanese people and snakes will be introduced, focusing on “folklore” and “proverbs.

<A word from the reporter>
The exhibit looks like it could be somewhat beneficial for us as we welcome the coming year! After seeing the exhibit at Atoa, I would like to visit Wada Shrine to pray for good health in the coming year.

Detailed information

Exhibition period

Friday, December 6, 2024 – Sunday, January 5, 2025

Place

AQUARIUM×ART átoa
(7-2 Shinko-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe)
Google Map

Hours

10:00-19:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing)

• AQUARIUM×ART átoa official website https://atoa-kobe.jp/
• Wada Shrine official website https://www.wadamiya.jp/