Road Trip to Misawa (Part 2) Asamushi Aquarium / 三沢への旅 （パート２）浅虫水族館

Driving back from Misawa to Aomori, we stopped in at the Asamushi Aquarium. I had been here once a long time ago when my wife and I were still dating and she was living here in Aomori while I was living in Tokyo. Which means it's probably been about eleven or twelve years since I've been here.

三沢から青森市に戻る途中浅虫水族館に行きました。僕は結婚前でまだ遠距離恋愛の時、この水族館に来た思い出はある。もう１１年か１２年前の話だ。久しぶりに行くのも楽しみです。

Asamushi Aquarium / 浅虫水族館

Sea turtle / ウミガメ

We were at the aquarium just in time for the last dolphin performance of the day. Look at the sequence of following photos closely. You will notice the dolphins blowing bubbles.

来たときに丁度イルカショーの最後の公演に間に合った。下記の連続写真を良く見てね。イルカがある技を披露してる。

The dolphin jumping in the air is an actual dolphin and not one on the screen as it looks like in the picture.

上記の写真、スクリーンで写ってるみたいのイルカは本物です。

A little harder to see in this picture.

この写真にはちょっと見にくいですね。

Four dolphins jumping in the air.

四頭のイルカが同時にジャンプ。

I see a shark!

サメがいた！

Sting rays are cool too!

エイもカッコイイね！

It looks like a lionfish to me.

確かこれはライオンフィッシュだ。

I wouldn't want to meet that in the ocean.

海の中にこれとは会いたくないね。

Its an octopus!

タコだ！

Jellyfish / クラゲ

I don't know what the fish was but these smaller critters are fire shrimps.

魚の種類はわかりませんがちちゃいやつはシロボシアカモエビ。

Goldeye Rockfish / ウスメバル

Catfish / ナマズ

Look, its an axolotl!

見て見て、ウーパールーパーだ！

Do you see that weird thing near the bottom right. Its kind of red and looks like some kind of blob? In Japanese it is called a hoya and is a popular regional dish in the Tohoku area. They are called sea-squirts in English. The edible sea squirts in Japan are called sea pineapples. I have also eaten it and found it to taste pretty good.

あの右下で見える奇妙な生き物見えますが。ちょっと赤いで変な形のやつ。あれは日本語と言えばホヤです。 英語で調べたらシースクァートだ。そして食べられるシースクァートはシーパイナップルらし。自分も食べたことあるので、以外と美味しい。

Picking up a sea squirt with my hands.

ホヤを手に取ってみた。

Reiko checking out some sea life as well.

玲ちゃんも触る海の生物を体験。

Asamushi Aquarium mascot Kokoru / 浅虫水族館のマスコット”ここる”

Asamushi Aquarium has a few new faces as well.

浅虫水族館の新しい顔が３匹も増えた。

You would think this would be the end of our road trip but no, in the evening we went to a hot spring. Then we went to my sister-in-law's house for an informal get together and then we went out to a karaoke place and sang for about an hour. But I will write about those adventures later.

これでロードトリップが終了と思ったら大間違い。浅虫水族館のあとは街の中にある温泉に行って、義理の妹の家でさわいで、最後にカラオケまで行ってきました。でもそれはまた今度。