Ikebukuro - aquarium

On Tuesday we went up north to Ikebukuro.

 We spent a while in this comic book store. Interestingly, most of the customers there were young women, probably high school girls.

 Lauren's long-awaited conveyor belt sushi for lunch.

 That's a lotta damage.

We spent most of the day at the Sunshine Aquarium. It's well known for its above-ground pool for sea lion viewing. He's swimming over our heads.

 I had Lauren stand with Doraemon.

 Some pelicans, looking pretty in pink.

Penguins out in the sun.

 They have their own diving pool.

 A trio of otters, hard to see.

One of them was only born last October.

 

We came at the right time to see the sea lion show.

 She's waving.

 Handstand.

 Balancing act.

 Hula hooping with her faaaaaaaace.

 Here's the big tropical fish tank.

 Here's the bulgyhead wrasse in with a bunch of sardines.

 Bulge.

 A pot of eels and some featherworms.

 Weedy sea dragons.

Some needlefish.

 A blurry ghost shark. They have funny faces.

 Kind of weird.

 A bunch of tiny cliones (sea angels). Hard to photograph.

 A bunch of fish were following the stingray around.

 Big ol' leopard shark.

Moon jellies.

 Blubber jellies.

 The huge leopard whipray.

 Squid.

 A cuddly cuttlefish. The only eyes weirder than goat eyes.

 This pancake was saying hello.

Silver moonfish.

 These fish would be embarrassed if they knew their skeletons are showing.

 

 Blurry puff-puff.

 The super gross Surinam toad, who keeps its babies in its back.

 Axolotls, known by the far superior name "wooper loopers" in Japan.

The false tomato frog. If you look closely, you might notice that it's not actually a real tomato.

 Little poisoners.

 Big old tortoises.

 A soa soa lizard, looking like a real dragon.

 Huge anemones.

 Happy as a clam with big blue lips.

 Caiman lizards, just chillin'.

 The aquarium was showing its third "Strange Animals" series.

 The alligator snapping turtle, which can rip your hand off easily.

 The lionfish. They're invasive over in Florida, where fishermen are paid to destroy them.

 Big juicy sea cucumbers.

 Brittle stars.

 Angora rabbits, looking like a pair of fuzzy slippers.

 A diagram showing the dragon moray eel's Alien-style double set of jaws.

 The deadly blue-ringed octopus.

 Some kind of crab with a tail that buries itself.

The spidery little arrow crab.

 The boxer crab, who puts little sea anemones on its pincers. It looks like it's waving pom-poms.

 This big guy looks delicious.

 The epaulette shark, named for those big black spots.

 The tawny frogmouth, who doesn't look that freaky with its eyes closed.

 When they're open, it's a different story.

The electric flame scallop, known as the disco scallop in Japan. They flash like disco balls!

 The funny looking elephant nose fish. Those noses are actually their chins.

 The poster child, the armadillo girdled lizard shows up at the end.

 They made a bread that looks like him.

Don't go this way.

 In the evening we went to a mixed gender onsen and relaxed in the outdoor baths.

 And a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant. It had a very nostalgic flavour.