Goldfish swimming in a folding byobu screen

Goldfish have been kept as ornamental household “pets” in Japan since the 18th century. More recently, goldfish and folding byobu screens came together in a highly unusual show, in an amazing combination of high-tech visual effects. The show took place in Tokyo from July to September 2014. The set, called “Byoburium II,” had hundreds of goldfish swimming in an aquarium that looked like oversized folding screens. “Scenes from nature” was the theme of the visual effects. The aquarium, made from 25-cm thick acrylic glass, was 7 meters wide and 2 meters high. The approximately 600 goldfish and imagery worked well together, creating an entirely new world of beauty.

The producer was art aquarium artist Kimura Hidetomo. After gaining experience at a tropical fish store, he began freelancing, establishing a new commercial niche called “Art Aquarium.” His art blends aquarium displays, art, design and entertainment, using light, visual effects, sound and aroma. His exhibits travel around Japan, stimulating the five senses.

The goldfish starring in the shows are well looked after, and staff make sure the projected light has no impact on their health.

Byoburium II had about 600 goldfish swimming inside. Visual effects were used to make the aquarium resemble folding byobu screens. (Photo courtesy of H. I. D. INTERAQTICA Co., Ltd.)

Below: Cocoons embedded with coral genes. The development project is the work of the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences.
Above: When a blue LED light strikes a kimono woven from fluorescent silk, it glows green and pink. (Photos courtesy of the Yomiuri Shimbun)

Fluorescent silk

A silk kimono floats in the dark, emitting a pale green light. The threads come from silkworms that were genetically engineered by transplanting genes from fluorescent coral. The technology was developed by a government-affiliated research center in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. In the project’s early days, the developers transplanted genes extracted from fluorescent jellyfish, but now they use a coral species called Galaxea fascicularis, which gives a brighter effect.

To accomplish all this, the first step is to place a silkworm egg (diameter: about 1 mm) under a microscope. A metal needle is used to open a tiny hole in the egg, and then a nano-diameter glass needle is inserted into the hole to inject the egg with DNA. The DNA has been embedded with fluorescent coral genes. Using this method, the florescent coral genes only make their way into some of the cells of the first-generation silk worm, so it cannot make fluorescent silk. However, when the first-generation silkworms breed, the resulting second generation possesses the modified DNA throughout their bodies, so the silk they make includes the fluorescent protein found in the coral species. Threads from their cocoons glow green in the dark if a blue LED light is shone on them. Thread from silkworms embedded with the genes of other coral species will emit a pink or orange light.

Research is moving forward in other directions as well, to discover more new functions of silk—for example, threads containing antibacterial constituents. The hope is that these can one day be used to make fibers useful for regenerative medical treatments and the manufacture of new substances for cosmetics.

Outdoor lanterns lit by LED lamps illuminate pathways in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto. The LED lamps were developed by ROHM Co., Ltd. (Photo courtesy of Kyoto Hanatoro Promotion Council)

Low-energy lights brighten the night in Kyoto districts

Light and flowers are the themes of the Kyoto Hanatoro event held in Kyoto twice a year, in the early spring and early winter. About 2,500 outdoor lanterns subtly illuminate the white plaster walls and ancient flagstones of the beautiful Higashiyama district. They also light up pathways through bamboo groves and trails along watercourses in the Saga and Arashiyama districts, where nature is at its best. The light for the lanterns comes from LED lamps developed by a local manufacturer of electronic components.

Incandescent bulbs were used when the event began in 2003. The organizers considered using LEDs, but it was difficult because at the time LEDs were too big to fit into the lanterns and they could not throw out light over a wide area like an incandescent bulb. But then a local electronic component manufacturer succeeded in producing a small LED lamp, by mounting the LED chip directly onto a ceramic substrate, and by developing new methods for optimizing the shape and material of the covering. The new lamps project light across an ample 180 degrees, and the light has characteristics just right for the sought-after mood. And of course the distinctive advantage of LEDs—low power consumption—means that the event’s electricity bill is only about one-eighth what it was with incandescent bulbs.

Small in size, powerful in 3D potential

The box is small enough to rest on the palm of your hand, yet displays 3D images, like a Tokyo night scene. It was released as a fun, user-friendly toy by a major Japanese toy manufacturer in January 2014. The company publicized it as a package deal with gum, although the toy turned out to be the main attraction.

To use it, first get your smartphone to read the QR code printed on the box. That lets you download video data. Next, take off the box cover and remove the parts inside. They include a transparent reflector plate, which you slide into place in the box. Then line up your smartphone (which now has the video data) on the box, with the phone screen down. The video is projected from the smartphone screen and reflected inside the box, to create a kind of 3D action scene.

The first video scene released by the company reproduced a light show that had been presented in Tokyo. The box brings the latest projection technology to the world of toys and it won the industry’s Japan Toy Award 2014 Grand Prize, in the Innovative Toy category. The affordable price boosted its popularity, and the company is now releasing a series of videos, some featuring favorite children’s characters.

This toy projects video images from a smartphone as 3D images. (Photo courtesy of BANDAI Co., Ltd.)