Tokyo Sea Life Park has various departments, including animal care and exhibition staff, and education and outreach staff.

As part of 　the commemorative projects for our 35th anniversary this year, we will be publishing a series of articles titled "The Dreams of Aquarium Leaders," in which leaders from each department will discuss themes such as "the ideal exhibit/aquarium" and "what they want to do and their dreams for their future work."

The 7th installment: "Aiming for an Inclusive Aquarium"

When I work at an aquarium, I'm often asked, "What kind of fish are you in charge of?" I always answer, "I'm in charge of people. I work in the department that handles customer service and guidance for visitors." An aquarium is made up of many people, including animal care staff who manage the animals, educational staff who handle school programs and guided tour, facility staff who maintain the equipment, sales staff who run the gift shop and restaurant, and administrative staff who handle the aquarium's administration and coordination with various departments. Among them, we in the customer service and guidance department are in charge of everything from selling admission tickets to providing various kinds of information to visitors.

I have been involved in the information and customer service department for over ten years, and I still remember being taught in the beginning that "the aquarium is a place where diverse people gather, so we must strive to provide attentive service to each and every person." Every day, as we welcome many visitors and handle ticket sales and admission information, we notice the diversity of the people who visit. Families, couples, solo visitors, school groups, and people of all ages, from children to seniors, people with disabilities, and foreign visitors—we all come together. To ensure that everyone can create enjoyable memories, our information and customer service department is committed to providing courteous service. Let me introduce some of these efforts.

Customer inquiries often concern facility use, such as "Where are the restrooms?" and "Is there a nursing room?". We also receive inquiries about viewing routes. The aquarium is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and while we maintain it through daily cleaning and regular repairs, there are many areas that are difficult to renovate due to age. Some parts of the usual viewing route only have stairs, so we guide customers using wheelchairs or strollers to the elevator. However, since this involves a different route within the aquarium than usual, we make sure to create an easy-to-understand map of the facility, including all ramps and elevator routes. Creating easy-to-read maps is one of our important jobs.

With the increase in tourists visiting Japan, the aquarium also receives many visitors from overseas. Therefore, we provide multilingual maps (English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese), directional signs are primarily bilingual (English and Japanese), and automated announcements within the aquarium are bilingual (English and Japanese). For visitors who require interpretation, we have prepared tablet devices for video interpretation at ticket counters and information counters, enabling communication between visitors, operators, and staff. In addition, to ensure that visitors with disabilities can use the aquarium with peace of mind, we have installed writing boards for those with hearing impairments, and we also provide tablet devices for video interpretation so that communication can be done in sign language.

Writing board installed at the information counter	Elevator Route Entrance Guide

Beyond just the physical facilities, we, the staff, are also working to remove barriers to smooth communication and information provision with visitors. We conduct training sessions aimed at improving communication skills with foreign visitors, as well as universal manners training sessions where we learn basic knowledge about the elderly and people with disabilities, and how to interact with them and speak to them. Our goal is to improve our soft skills, such as hospitality and knowledge acquisition.

Are you familiar with the word "inclusive"? Literally translated, it means "comprehensive" or "all-inclusive." It's a concept aiming for a society where everyone can participate equally, without being excluded based on their attributes such as gender, race, nationality, or disability. It refers to creating an environment where people from diverse backgrounds can work together. At our aquarium, we also value this concept and strive to create an aquarium that everyone can enjoy with peace of mind. There's still much we can do, such as introducing universal design.

We will continue to work towards creating an inclusive environment so that everyone who visits the aquarium can enjoy themselves.

[Michihiko Hoshino, Head of Information Section Tokyo Sea Life Park]

• Serialized article: 35th Anniversary Project "The Dreams of Aquarium Leaders"
　[1] Thoughts on the exhibits at the aquarium
　[2] The path that aquariums aim for - We want them to always be close to you
　[3] Would you like to get involved in the maintenance and management of the facilities that support the aquarium from behind the scenes?
　[4] Aquariums where you can learn while having fun
　[5] I want to create the ocean
　[6] Aqua Positive
　[7] Aiming for an inclusive aquarium
　[8] The Dreaming Old Man
　[9] The job of a "boatman" at an aquarium - Let's continue the dream together!
　[10] Value hospitality
　[11] What we want to convey from shops and restaurants!! The charm and importance of living things
　[12 (Final Episode)] Thoughts and daily life of the Business Division staff

(November 22, 2024)