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Curating the Aquarium Vol. 1 |
How the Garden Eel Became a Star

Do You Know the Garden Eel?

Wriggling, mysterious, and poking out of the sand — the garden eel (chinanagо in Japanese) has become one of the most recognizable sea creatures in Japan over the past decade or so. I was genuinely surprised recently when I spotted one in a children's educational picture book, tucked into an illustration of the ocean. Somewhere along the way, the garden eel had quietly earned its place in the standard lineup of sea creatures introduced to young children.

Three Reasons the Garden Eel Became a Star

So how did it happen? I believe there were three key turning points.

1. A dedicated exhibit at Sumida Aquarium in 2012

Sumida Aquarium launched a display featuring 634 garden eels — a number that was, in itself, revolutionary. Garden eels had been exhibited at aquariums before, but typically as a handful of individuals tucked into a sandy corner of a large tank, sharing space with crowd-pleasers like sharks and rays. Their charm rarely came across.
At Sumida, with garden eels as the sole focus, something clicked. The swaying of the colony, the way they all vanished into the sand at once when startled — these behaviors were immediately visible and captivating to any passerby. (As of 2025, the tank also includes ribbon eels and turbo shells.)

2. The registration of "Garden Eel Day" in 2013

Sumida Aquarium registered November 11th as an official "Garden Eel Day" — chosen because the eel's slender body resembles the number "1," and four eels lined up mirror the date 11/11. The reasoning itself was endearing.
Other aquariums followed suit, holding their own Garden Eel Day events, and the movement spread across the industry — giving aquariums nationwide a shared occasion to delight visitors with garden eel content.

3. A perfect fit for the internet and social media

As early as 2010, a song called "Chinanago no Uta" (by Utatoe Studio) had been posted to YouTube, quietly accumulating views — surpassing 100,000 by 2012. The garden eel was already building an online following.
Then, on November 11, 2013, Sumida Aquarium held a live event called "Yurayura Chinanago Night" alongside a Niconico livestream of the garden eel tank. The stream drew 670,000 total viewers and generated 520,000 comments. It was almost certainly the first time a real-world aquarium event and an online event of this scale had been held simultaneously — and it brought garden eels to national attention almost overnight.


Beyond the visual impact, the name itself helped. Chinanagоhas an awkward, slightly funny sound in Japanese that made it oddly memorable — I still remember children gleefully repeating it out loud.

Meanwhile, Hello Kitty — famous for saying yes to almost every collaboration — released a "Chinanago Kitty" in 2011 (Sanrio Co., Ltd.), and in 2013 an arcade prize figure called"Kyou mo Yurayura Chinanaго"(Eiko Co., Ltd.) sold one million units in just nine months. The garden eel was expanding simultaneously across the internet and into the physical marketplace.

Other Creatures Made Famous by Media

The garden eel isn't the first sea creature to be catapulted to fame by media exposure.
The frilled-neck lizard became a sensation in Japan in 1984, thanks to a Mitsubishi Mirage TV commercial. Its wide-mouthed, sprinting silhouette was impossible to forget.

(I didn't see it in real time, but I came across it in a university course where we watched 100 classic commercials. The art director teaching the class — a veteran of a major agency — half-jokingly told us: "When you're stuck on an ad, put in a kid, an animal, or a beautiful woman." Apparently it's known as the 3Bs — Baby, Beast, Beauty — one of the reliable rules for moving people emotionally. The person who cast a frilled-neck lizard in that commercial might have been a little stuck, too.)

The following year, 1985, the axolotl (known in Japan as ūpārūpā) became a star througha Cup Noodle UFO commercial. The axolotl display at Sunshine International Aquarium (now Sunshine Aquarium） that followed was reportedly a massive draw.



The breakout creatures of 1980s commercials shared a common quality: striking, unusual appearances that delivered immediate visual impact.
The garden eel boom feels somewhat different. Visitors often describe being soothed by the gentle swaying of the colony — suggesting that what makes a creature a star has shifted over time, from pure visual shock value toward an appreciation for behavior, ecology, and something closer to a living personality.

▼In Closing

I was working at Sumida Aquarium when all of this unfolded, and I watched the garden eel become a star in real time.
It began with the exhibit itself — but what truly made the garden eel a star was the staff. They noticed how visitors responded, and kept finding new ways to make the experience more enjoyable. One small idea led to another.

水When visitors encounter a star creature at an aquarium, there's a particular kind of delight — "I got to see the famous one." And for many, that encounter becomes a doorway into a genuine appreciation for the creature itself.
As someone who works on exhibits, I can only hope that more of the world's lesser-known creatures get their moment in the spotlight — and that their stories find the audience they deserve.

Ayako Horikawa

Founder, DESIGN STUDIO KAISUI
An experience designer specializing in aquariums, working across exhibition design, spatial design, and program development.
After gaining experience in operations and exhibition design at Sumida Aquarium and spatial design at UDS Ltd., she established her own studio. She has been involved in exhibition direction and program development for the urban aquarium AOAO SAPPORO.
Her work focuses on designing environments that cultivate observation, curiosity, and wonder.
She holds a Master’s degree from Tokyo University of the Arts.
Author of “A Day in the Life of Aquariums: Creatures and People” (Fukuinkan Shoten).
Member of the Japan Society of Exhibition Studies and JAGDA.