Featured Image Credit: Space World
By Alice Morris
When the Japanese theme park Space World opened up their newest attraction last month, it promised visitors an experience unlike any other with the debut of “not only a Japan-first but undeniably a world-first” amusement.
The new attraction was indeed the first of its kind; a marine-themed ice rink that featured an array of over 5,000 marine animals frozen beneath the ice, it allowed visitors to glide above an aquarium of creatures frozen in space.
What Space World didn’t expect was the widespread outrage their “ice aquarium” would spark. The public was quick to denounce the rink as “an insult to life,” labeling the Kitakyushu destination as “Japan’s vulgar theme park.”
Trouble began for the park in late October when the Space World Facebook page began posting a series of promotional photos of the rink accompanied by captions that many took offense to.
One particular post from November 7th featured a photo of half frozen fish laid out in the ice rink with the caption “I’m d…d…drowning…it h…h…hurts.”
Facebook users replied with scathing comments, accusing the park of animal cruelty.
An official from the park, when asked if the post was considered appropriate replied, “Another employee wrote that, hoping people would find it funny. But I do feel that not enough caution was taken. I apologize.”
Other photos posted on Facebook depicted a variety of marine species arranged into various patterns. Photographs of larger animals, such as whale sharks and rays were also embedded beneath the ice.
The posts continued until November 11th, one day before the ice rink’s opening, prompting many social media users to urge a boycott of the park.
Responding to allegations of animal cruelty, one park official denied that live fish were used in the ice rink, saying, “The real fish we used were provided wholesale from public fish markets, and these fish sellers are all aware of the purpose of this project. Many of these fish don’t meet standards for selling to customers.”
Overall, Space World officials reported favorable reviews of the ice rink, especially from young children.
The park maintained that the rink was an “educational experience” that allowed visitors “to interact with the creatures of the sea” and learn about marine life in the process.
But critics of the rink didn’t agree with this view, remarking that animals shouldn’t be used for entertainment.
Some Space World visitors reported seeing blood seeping through the ice and complained that fish bodies were beginning to stick out from the rink.
Despite widespread public outrage, Space World officials initially showed no signs of shutting the rink, defending it as an extremely popular attraction that had attracted an “unprecedented number of visitors.”
Once the story began getting picked up by international news outlets though, the park caved to the public’s requests and on November 28th, after just sixteen days in business, Space World’s website announced that the ice rink would be closed until further notice.
NHK, Japan’s national public broadcasting organization reported that the park would be melting the rink down and removing the animals.
Space World officials are now discussing plans to hold a memorial service in honor of the fish. The dead fish bodies may later be used for fertilizer.
An announcement on the park’s web page apologized for offending so many people. “We seriously take to heart a lot of various opinions,” it read. “We deeply apologize to all who had unpleasant feelings about the ice aquarium.”
The rink is expected to be restored to its original state sometime in December. Whether or not backlash against Space World will continue is yet to be seen, but it’s safe to say that the park’s “world-first” ice aquarium experience will also be its last.
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