We held the 2025 Kitajumangawa & Kyu-Nakagawa "animals Creatures Workshop"!

We held an "animals Workshop" at Kitajukkengawa and Kyu-Nakagawa River in Sumida Ward. We would like to introduce you to the participants' interactions with many animals and nature. (Author: Breeding and Exhibition Team Kakuyama)

About the "animals Workshop"

This is an experiential workshop aimed at elementary school students and their parents living in Sumida Ward, where they can come into contact with local animals.

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of environmental conservation based on a partnership agreement concluded with Sumida Ward in 2022.

(Reference: Column "We held a workshop on the animals of Kitajukkengawa River" on the Sumida Aquarium official website )

Kitajukkengawa Workshop

The fourth workshop at Kitajukkengawa River was held on June 14th as part of the Sumida Environmental Fair, with 21 people from 9 groups participating.

In the workshop, after checking the water quality, participants used nets and traps to collect and observe the animals that live in the river. When they explored the river with nets and pulled up traps to see what was inside, both adults and children looked on with shining eyes and excitement.
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The animals I would like to focus on in this workshop are the "Ocean cricket" and the "Yamato Shijimi."
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The "Oshiromi" is a fish registered in the Tokyo Red Data Book. 26 Oshiromi were collected this time. This animals is often seen in surveys conducted by the animal care staff , and many were caught this time as well.
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The Yamato Shijimi butterfly was spotted for the first time at this workshop.
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The animal care staff were searching only on the walls and around the aquatic plants, but one of the children rummaging around the river bottom found a Yamato Shijimi butterfly. It has been spotted in the nearby rivers connected to Kitajukken River (Arakawa, Sumida River, Kyu-Nakagawa), so it is not surprising that it is there, but this was the first time it had been found during a survey at Sumida Aquarium, so it was brought back to the aquarium and the species was identified. The staff were excited when they confirmed that it was definitely a Yamato Shijimi butterfly.

In this workshop, we were able to collect 37 specimens of 10 species. Including the Yamato Shijimi butterfly, which was spotted for the first time this time, we have now identified 28 species of animals in our surveys to date.
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The animal care staff were once again reminded of the large number of animals living there, and the workshop was just as exciting as the children.

animals collected at the Kitajukkengawa Workshop

Former Nakagawa Workshop

The Old Nakagawa River is also one of the waterfront areas in Sumida Ward, and flows along the border between Sumida Ward and Koto Ward.
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Since 2024, we have been holding animals workshops at a spot just 30 minutes away from Sumida Aquarium. This time, the workshop was held on October 11th, with 16 people from 7 groups participating.
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Unlike Kitajukkengawa River, the waterfront is closer, so participants changed into rubber boots and brought nets, and seemed to be in high spirits even before the workshop began.

Everyone was skillfully using dip nets to collect fish, shrimp, dragonfly larvae, and other animals. It was heartwarming to see the children getting excited about the animals they had caught and showing animals.

After collecting for about an hour while listening to an explanation of the animals they caught, everyone will observe the animals they caught as a reflection.
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We asked the children to write down on a worksheet the animals they wanted to observe, and when I told them the names and characteristics of the creatures, they would happily exchange comments such as "I caught that one," "I wanted to catch that one," and "What is this?", and I joined in with the children, making for a harmonious workshop from start to finish.

Through the "animals Things Workshop"

Some of the animals spotted at the Kitajukkengawa and Kyunakagawa workshops are also on display at Sumida Aquarium. The oriental bluefish caught at this workshop has also become a new addition to the exhibit.

I hope that those who visit Sumida Aquarium and view the exhibits, those who participate in the workshops, and those who read this column will learn about the many living animals that live in their local areas and become interested in them.
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In order to continue to attract the interest of many people, we will continue to observe Kitajumangawa River and Kyu-Nakagawa River, as well as the Sumida Ward area.