One more note on filming locations for the TBS hit drama "Hanzawa Naoki."
A little while back—in the final episode of Part 1, the Osaka arc (Episode 5, aired August 11)—an aquarium appeared.
It is where Asano took his family near the end of his battle with Hanzawa. Cornered by Hanzawa, the scene of him checking email apart from his family at the aquarium＝photo right—contrasting with earlier dolphin-show family time—highlighted his desperation.
Didn't you think that aquarium looked impressive? Well, it wasn't in Kansai after all—it was Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium in Oarai, Ibaraki. As a former Ibaraki resident, I couldn't stay quiet. I even bought an annual pass and went more than ten times over two years with my child (adult admission 1,800 yen; annual pass 4,000 yen).
Dolphin shows were at the Ocean Theater＝photo upper left, and there are sea-lion shows too. Go underground and you can see dolphins swimming underwater＝photo lower left.
The large tank is "Encounter with the Sea"＝top photo—a huge two-story tank. Famous for keeping 46 shark species, you can watch sharks swim leisurely with sardine schools and manta rays. Staff also enter the tank to feed them—an attraction.
Sunfish are famous too. Near the big tank is Japan's largest sunfish-dedicated
tank (270 tons); up to about ten fish. Sunfish injure easily; larger tanks raise swimming speed and they can hit glass and die, so soft collision fences wrap the perimeter—slightly hard to see＝photo upper right.
Outside, Humboldt penguins walk and swim; you can view them underwater from below＝photo lower right.
According to the show's "technical director's blog" (July 30), filming here enjoyed the dolphin show but poor on-site coordination caused long waits—"I lost it for the first time in ages!!" (verbatim). Hardships you cannot see on screen.
From Takebashi and central Tokyo, take the JR limited express from Ueno to Mito (just over an hour), then the Kashima Rinkai Railway Oarai-Kashima Line to Oarai Station (15 minutes), then a 15-minute bus ride. A full day is easy; nearby is the famous Oarai Golf Club, and in winter hotels nearby demo angler filleting—pair with Mito for an overnight trip.