Children in Fukushima Prefecture don't have a whole lot to feel cheery about these days.
Children in Fukushima Prefecture don't have a whole lot to feel cheery about these days.
A massive earthquake, a giant tsunami and a nuclear crisis put paid to that.
But in an effort to encourage these children in this time of national crisis, a traveling aquarium is making the rounds of schools to show them that life in all its forms is a wonder to behold.
Some 200 marine creatures, consisting of 20 varieties, are on show. The children are encouraged to touch the fish as part of their class work.
A special truck carrying fish tanks from Aquamarine Fukushima in Iwaki is visiting local elementary schools and junior high schools.
When the truck visited Kawamata-Minami Elementary School in Kawamata on Oct. 7, some 230 children squealed as they touched cloudy catshark, starfish and octopus and watched red sea bream and other varieties swimming around.
The traveling show proved to be a special treat for children from Yamakiya Elementary School in Kawamata. They have been forced to take classes in vacant classrooms at Kawamata-Minami Elementary School because their school is located in an area where the central government had advised residents to evacuate due to high levels of radiation caused by the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.