National Museum of Nature and Science
The National Museum of Nature and Science will be holding a KAHKA NEWS exhibition, “Marimo in our homes!? – An investigation into marimo found in household aquariums,” from Wednesday, July 17th to Sunday, September 1st, 2024.
The press release issued by the museum on March 27th of this year, “Motosumarimimo found again, growing only in aquariums in private homes,” was widely covered by many media outlets. The museum’s researchers called for information on similar cases through newspapers and television coverage, which also received a great response, and information was sent to the museum from all over Japan, and actual samples that appeared to be “Marimo” were also sent. Analysis revealed that these samples contained not only Motosumarimimo, but all Marimo species known in Japan (5 taxonomic groups), and various new knowledge was gained. In addition to displaying the aquariums, the museum will introduce the Marimo species, display a list of photos of aquariums where Marimo were found from all over the country, and introduce the research on Marimo that the museum’s researchers have conducted at the Fuji Five Lakes.
[Event period] Wednesday, July 17th to Sunday, September 1st, 2024
[Venue] National Museum of Nature and Science (7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo) 1st floor open space in the Global Gallery [Organizer] National Museum of Nature and Science
Exhibition Overview
The exhibition consists of three zones:
① Marimo’s friends <br />In this survey, we found all of the Marimo’s friends (5 taxonomic groups) that have been known in Japan until now. We will introduce their characteristics with illustrations.
② Scenery with Marimo <br />After the second case of Motosu Marimo was found this year, the museum called on various media for information about marimo in aquariums, and received 46 pieces of information. Of these, 26 people sent samples, which were examined by the museum, and it was found that all five groups of marimo had been found in home aquariums. Until the beginning of this year, there had only been two reported cases in Japan, but in less than three months, over 20 cases have been reported. Many new findings have also been obtained, such as the discovery of Tateyama Marimo, which is thought to have originated from a spring-fed area in Tokyo.
③ Marimo research at our museum <br />Our museum’s research into marimo began in 1956 (Showa 31) when Yoshinari Kameda, a third-grader at the time, collected and cultivated marimo from Yamanakako Village, which were then brought to our museum 50 years later. This story was published in a picture book titled “Marimo of Mt. Fuji” (Fukuinkan Shoten). This prompted a joint academic research into marimo in Lake Yamanaka between our museum and the Yamanakako Village Board of Education in 2013. Following the discovery of Motosu Marimo in Kofu in 2022, Kawasaki in 2024, and this time in the aquarium, we have now begun research into the entire Fuji Five Lakes region, as well as river research in the Kanto area.
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[Agency for Cultural Affairs] Press Release
Article provided by: Kokosil Ueno
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