Shinagawa Aquarium

We had a great day out at Shinagawa Aquarium on Saturday the 1st of November. Although it is nice to sit at home and recharge the batteries after a long and busy working week, by the time Monday comes around again, it often feels as if the weekend is wasted unless at least one activity of worth has been completed.

It took about an hour and a half to get to the aquarium and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was located within a large park that was surrounded by trees and which also had a reasonably sized lake. It is rare for me to see such large and numerous trees and I was truly happy to be surrounded by them. It must be a sign that I am being deprived of the very basic things that people living anywhere else but Tokyo would describe as normal everyday sights.

Clara volunteered to be in charge of the photography and produced results which are probably better than I could have managed.

There were 2 main highlights to our to trip to the aquarium. One of those highlights was of course the dolphin show. We were all really amazed by the power of the dolphins and it is always satisfying to add to Clara's catalogue of good experiences. Unfortunately, the pool that the dolphins swam around in did seem to be really small and I would estimate that it measured about 25m x 20m.

The main highlight for us all seemed to be an added afterthought by the aquarium. It was a pool (and a couple of Jack o Lantern style hand-basins) full of Doctor Fish. The fish are supposed to be beneficial for a number of skin problems and other ailments. Doctor Fish have really captured the imagination of the Japanese over the last few years and it was nice to finally see them in real life. Clara and I stuck our hands into the pool and the fish promptly nibbled away at the dead skin. Embarrasingly, when I stuck my hand in the water, a whole shoal of fish started to feast on my hand. A freaky sensation which has left me wondering about what the reason is for the interest shown in me by the fish....any ideas?

Japanese Banking

Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank are soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank are reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Thanks to Alan Thomson for emailing me this little joke. In reality, Japanese banks seem to be benefiting in some ways from the global financial crisis. Japanese banks are involved in a number of overseas acquisitions and this bargain hunting could result in them being in a prime position once the latest financial storm subsides. The Japanese are coming.