While on our way back from the onsen of Akita, my husband Hunter and I visited Kamo Aquarium in Yamagata. This aquarium is known for its jellyfish — one of my favorite animals! Afterwards, we ate one of the weirdest things I’ve ever had: jellyfish ice cream.
But first, a quiz!
Kurage is usually written in katakana, but it also has kanji: 海月. These kanji can be literally translated as ‘ocean moon’; how cool is that?
Caution: the word for fried chicken in Japanese is 唐揚げ — kara-age. When Hunter and I arrived at the jellyfish part of the aquarium, I was so excited I yelled, “karaage!” and the people around me looked VERY confused!
A Little More About Kamo Aquarium…
Like most aquariums, Kamo Aquarium is located right next to the ocean. After all, where better to get your seawater than from the ocean itself, right? Kamo has the usual exhibits of marine life from the surrounding areas, but where it really shines is the jellyfish. Not only do they have lots of exhibits, they even breed jellyfish! You can see them at different stages in development and get a closer look at how the staff does it. All of this is in Japanese, so come prepared with a translation app if you want to learn anything!
My favorite part of the aquarium was the Jellyfish Dream Theater. This large tank is filled with moon jellies and coupled with dark lighting in the room and a blue light in the tank, it looks really pretty. There was even a piano nearby for the occasional performance! I felt like I could stand there forever and just watch the jellyfish floating around.
Eating Jellyfish Ice Cream
After we were done exploring, we checked out the cafe in the building to see if we could eat some odd food, like jellyfish ramen. Unfortunately, many things were already sold out, so we decided to pass. Instead, we headed straight to the ice cream stand located near the front of the museum. There were tons of school children crowded around, daring each other to eat it!
When I first heard about the jellyfish ice cream, my mind conjured up appetite-killing images of ice cream with ground-up jellyfish inside, of me trying some and immediately regretting everything. The reality was much less scary. There are two flavors to choose from, vanilla and chocolate, and you could also get them as a mix. Once the ice cream is in the cone, the jellyfish pieces are pressed onto the side. It’s not too much, either, so even if you don’t like the taste, there’s plenty of ice cream to mask the taste.
Speaking of the taste, it’s a bit like pieces of small, slightly fishy rubber pieces. Not the most delicious ice cream ever, but I don’t think most people get it expecting it to be amazing haha.
More Information
Parking
- There is free parking on-site! Yay!
Hours and Admission
- Kamo Aquarium is open year-round from 9-5, with slightly longer hours during the summer. More details on their website, here.
- Admission is ￥1000 for adults (16+), ￥500 for children (6-15) and free for toddlers and infants (under 6).
English
- Minimal. You can get an English pamphlet when you buy your ticket, but most of the names and descriptions of the animals are in Japanese. If you can read katakana you might be able to figure out what you’re looking at; otherwise, come prepared with a translation app.
Hm, think I’ll pass on the ice cream but would love to see the Dream Theater! That looks amazing!!
It was beautiful! I think it’d be really cool to attend a concert there!