すみだ水族館ロゴ
Sumida Aquarium by Orix

AQTION!

Pass it on to the future, leave it for the future, AQTION!

To the children who will create the future,
What I want to convey.
For the Earth that continues into the future,
Something I want to leave behind.

There are many other forms of life on Earth besides humans.
Eating, sleeping, raising children.
An aquarium is a place where you can experience the diverse lives of animals.
Seeing living animals up close gives you an opportunity to think about the importance of the global environment and life.
What if we could nurture the power of children to create the future?
AQTION is a program broadcast by Kyoto Aquarium and Sumida Aquarium.
This is a project to create the future.

Starting with AQUARIUM
ACTION, that's why it's AQTION!

Humans, animals, plants, the sea, the sky, and the earth.
Our goal is to create a healthy and happy future for the entire planet.

Sumida Aquarium's AQTION!

  1. Aqua Academy

    Through experience,
    Cultivating children's awareness and curiosity

    We aim to cultivate children's interest in living things by allowing them to experience animals up close. We offer hands-on programs that aim to raise awareness of environmental issues while having fun, and to foster imagination that broadens one's horizons.

    For more information about Aqua Academy, click here

    Aqua Academy

  2. Tokyo Goldfish Project

    Connecting Tokyo's goldfish culture and traditions to the future.

    Tokyo, where Sumida Aquarium is located, once had many goldfish farms, and goldfish were part of the family in many homes. The Tokyo Goldfish Project aims to connect Tokyo's goldfish culture to the future. Just as goldfish sellers built local communities through animals, the project will also expand into activities outside the aquarium, and through goldfish, will convey the importance of the kind feelings that come from appreciating animals in everyday life.

  3. An aquarium connected to the local community

    Thinking about the future of children together with the local community.

    As a member of the local community, we work with local governments and residents to listen to the dreams and concerns of children and to foster their sensibilities. For example, staff members help children who dream of becoming animal care staff, the aquarium works with children on summer independent research projects, and provides opportunities for children to visit the aquarium. We hope that the aquarium will become a resource for the local community and become a presence that helps think together about a prosperous future for children.

  4. Conservation of local wildlife

    Preserving Tokyo's biodiversity for the future.

    Tokyo, where Sumida Aquarium is located, was once home to many aquatic creatures, but animals that lived throughout the city, such as the Miyako tanago, Tokyo salamander, and Minami-Medaka, have been driven out of their habitats and have already become extinct or are in danger of extinction. Sumida Aquarium not only conveys the current state of animals, but also works with various organizations to engage in conservation activities to prevent species from becoming extinct.

  5. Cooperation with Ogasawara Village

    Promoting the World Natural Heritage sites in Tokyo.

    The Ogasawara Islands in Tokyo are one of only five World Natural Heritage sites in Japan. The Ogasawara Sea Life , which houses fish native to Ogasawara , even reproduces the distinctive deep, clear color of the Ogasawara sea, known as Bonin Blue. Ogasawara Base also works with Ogasawara Village to carry out conservation activities for the endangered green sea turtle. This provides an opportunity for many people to learn about the charms of Tokyo's natural heritage sites.

AQTION!
Advisor introduction

Osamu Abe

Comments from Professor Abe

I see great value in aquariums functioning as "places of learning." As an expert in environmental education, ESD, and even SDGs and ESG, I am cooperating with AQTION!'s initiatives, including regional collaboration and overseas activities.
We hope that this activity, which conveys the connection between people and nature, will lead to visitors becoming more aware of environmental issues and changing their behavior, and that it will continue to develop into a socially significant initiative.

Osamu Abe Profile

Professor Emeritus at Rikkyo University, Chairman of the Japan Environmental Education Forum. A pioneer in environmental education in Japan, he has led the development, dissemination, and internationalization of environmental education.
Furthermore, at the Johannesburg Summit (2002), together with the Japanese government and NGOs, she proposed the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and subsequently led domestic and international initiatives, creating the momentum for the 2019 UN resolution "ESD for 2030," which declared that ESD is essential for promoting the SDGs.
Furthermore, he has been instrumental in establishing TEEN, a government-level environmental education network between Japan, China, and South Korea, and in building environmental education/ESD networks in the Asia-Pacific and Pacific Rim regions.
Currently, we are working on promoting environmental education, regional revitalization through ESD (Education for Sustainable Development), and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
He is a visiting professor at Shiroume Gakuen University, a member of the IUCN-CEC committee, and the director of the Japan Institute for Environmental Education, among other positions.

Mie Shimizu

Comment from Professor Shimizu

I was impressed with this initiative, which allows children to think about animals, the environment, and the future through their interests.
It is precisely because of the experiential space of the aquarium that children are able to take an interest in the subject and learn independently. By observing the daily activities of animals, rather than learning information from picture books or videos, children are able to learn through hands-on experience, which leads to further arousal of interest. From the standpoint of a "play expert," I would like to continue to provide advice on planning workshops and the content of educational programs, so that we can continue to increase children's independent energy.

Shimizu Mie Profile

An expert in child development and play. After graduating from the Faculty of Commerce at Keio University, he worked at the toy manufacturer Epoch Co., Ltd., where he was involved in product planning and development of educational toys and other products. He then joined KCJ GROUP Co., Ltd. and participated in the launch of KidZania Tokyo. He was also involved in the development of experiential activities for children, career education programs for schools, and programs linking work experience with social issues such as environmental problems. He is now independent and works as an expert in play, supporting the launch of daycare centers, running parent-child workshops, and providing courses and training for adults who work with children. His published work is "Time to Play: Expanding Children's Worlds through Play and Adult Involvement," published by Eiji Publishing.