Blue Fish Aquarium

Feb 142009

The Of Rice and Zen team had previously underestimated the power of sea-life and the appeal of owning fish. Blue Fish Aquarium has since educated us in underwater ways and we are willing to admit that we were disastrously wrong.

Saloon Bar Bluefish Aquarium in Kyoto is a trendy bar with low lighting and tons of fascinating fish tanks surrounding intimate tables. For some reason, unlike the TVs pumping out z-league sports events in theme pubs around Japan, which tend to hypnotise the crowd into beer swilling solipsism, the dazzling visual feast of Blue Fish Aquarium actually sparks rather than inhibits conversation. This is the first of several reasons that Of Rice and Zen recommend this bar for a first or indeed a two-thousandth date.

The array of tanks is large and expensive-looking. The most impressive of which actually constitutes the front window of the store and houses… A SHARK. Yes you read that correctly. A. Frickin’. Shark. This is a bar of which a megalomaniacal Bond-villain would be justifiably proud and as such it’s a stylish place to come for an evening drink, or just a bite (what? we’re allowed a pun every once in a while).

One cannot help but wonder how long that front window would remain intact in the glorious environs of Leicester or Stoke. We’d give it a night or two before the pavement was alive with broken glass and the desperate writhings of a dying sea predator at the hands of a bored chav and his knuckle-dragging cheerleaders.

Despite the presence of A SHARK perhaps the most disconcerting tank is the large one that fills the washroom, stretching from the sink to the toilet bowl. The little Nemo-alike fellow inside, starved of company may well eye you up and down like a curious sarariman in an onsen if the mood so takes him. Bear this in mind if you’re prone to privy stage fright.

On your first trip to Blue Fish Aquarium you may find yourself here with a group of friends on the lookout for new places to drink. You can consider this your scouting mission on which you’ll abandon the notion of a boys’ night out and instead choose the opportune combination of booth, cocktail and time of day to create the perfect date. If you’re as well-behaved and polite as the top-class staff and no-one’s in the middle of an amorous tête-à-tête in the corner, you should be fine to take a few pics while you’re here. Given the grace of the lighting and the aquatic delights on display it’d almost be a shame not to.

The first thing most of the Of Rice and Zen team did upon arrival was try to figure out when they could bring their respective lady friends here without bumping into each other and creating impromptu double-date situations. Most of the booths are nestled between giant tanks containing a stunning assemblage of exotic fish, crustacea, seahorses and jellyfish. As such they are most secluded and lend themselves to romantic eye tennis and canoodling. Kids these days still canoodle right?

The cool music, low lighting and romantic hush and the wealth of love hotels right outside the door almost guarantee your valentine’s day here will go swimmingly (aythangyoo – last one we swear). On the other hand the numerous and dangerously drinkable cocktails are priced at a premium because of the, admittedly spectacular, view.

It should also be said that the food, which arrives quickly and hardens at the same rate, bears all the hallmarks of a microwaved copout. But to be honest you don’t come to Blue Fish Aquarium for the culinary delights. You come here because it takes you a step closer to the Daniel Craig-esque international man of mystery you’ve always wanted to be and because creating the illusion of that the course of true love is running serendipitously smoothly takes a great deal of forward planning and effort if your chosen venue is not helping your cause as much as Blue Fish Aquarium does. For that we doff our top hats to another great Kyoto bar.