As the sun goes down and the children go home, Sunshine City’s family-friendly aquarium transforms into a “love hotel”… For sea creatures. With sensually lit tanks and mating call-infused music, this “sex-filled” exhibition invites us to peek into the wildly diverse and sometimes kinky sex lives of the sea. 

Aquarium x Sex

Part of the exhibit’s appeal lies in its panels, which use innuendos and comparisons to human sexuality to explain animal strategies for preserving their species. Who knew that sea otters have a bone in their penis that allows them not just to go all night, but all day, too? 

But the main draw here is the experiential component, like the “Touch My Body” Mystery box or the “Peep Show,” where you can sneak a look at the diverse mating displays of sea creatures. You can test your compatibility with the animal kingdom with the “What animal are you in bed?” quiz, or perhaps find inspiration in the kama-sutra-of-the-sea graphic. 

Toward More Open Conversations

The exhibition is a bold undertaking, particularly for many Japanese people who find sex a sensitive topic. “For animals, mating is nothing embarrassing, but rather the culmination (climax, if you will) of the ingenuity of life,” says the director of Sunshine Aquarium. “The animal mating world is so mysterious and varied, and I believe learning about it has the potential to make us more open to sexual differences in our own culture.” 

Personifying animals in aquariums, as this exhibit has done, is rarely approved due to concerns that it may distract from understanding them as distinct species with unique mechanisms and needs. Sunshine Aquarium, however, has taken this daring step to add a fun “human element” in hopes of connecting with a larger audience and challenging the taboo. 

“The aquarium’s mission is to educate the public on the importance of living beings,” the director states. “Sexuality is the source of life, and we wanted to discuss it.” As animal mating remains underresearched, the aquarium hopes to spark interest that encourages further study. Their enthusiasm came through; the exhibition was filled with the aquarium staff’s love for these creatures, and their commitment to making the aquarium a fun, accessible, and approachable place of learning. 

And the love was certainly in the air. Maybe it had something to do with the mood lighting, but this writer was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of cape penguins—South African natives who mate for life—getting it on.

Go alone, go with friends, go with your date (what’s sexier than knowing fun facts about sea animals, anyway?). The Seiippai Exhibition will get you in the mood… Ahem, to educate yourself about the diversity and mystery of life, of course.

Seiippai Exhibition

Until November 4 

6:15pm – 9pm

3-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro

Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Sunshine City

Price: ¥2,600~

For more information: sunshinecity.jp/file/aquarium/sexy