AQUARIUM×ART átoa (Shinkocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, hereinafter "átoa"), in cooperation with Felissimo Corporation (Shinkocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, President and CEO Kazuhiko Yazaki) and under the supervision of Associate Professor Takagi of Otemae University, has created "road surface signs" to enhance the circularity of the Kobe waterfront area, which will be put into service from March 27, 2026. The sign design was created by Mr. Hosokawa of Bowl Inc., who was responsible for the area design of New Seaport (Shinkocho area), with an awareness of its affinity with the area.

Project Background

átoa, felissimo chocolate museum (hereinafter "Chocolate Museum"), and FELISSIMO f winery (hereinafter "f Winery") all shared a common challenge: their entrances were located away from the main road, making the access routes unclear. A joint project was launched to solve this problem.

*átoa and the Chocolate Museum have entrances on the second floor, while the f Winery has its entrance on the green space by the sea.

From the outset, a common desire was to "create a design that makes people excited to see it." This is a core value that átoa, which aims to create added value beyond a typical aquarium by fusing aquarium and art, and Felissimo, which undertakes various projects based on the core value of "happiness for all," have both cherished.

Unique Indicators and Visibility Specific to This Location

Instead of the common "X minutes on foot" notation, unique distance indicators that leverage the characteristics of each facility were adopted. For example, "X steps if a penguin walks to átoa" or "X wine bottles to the winery." This creates a mechanism that allows people to intuitively imagine the distance and makes them want to experience it by actually walking.

Large illustrations minimize text information and are drawn prominently on the road surface. The design allows children and tourists alike to enjoy walking intuitively.

【Target Facilities】

・AQUARIUM×ART átoa

・TOOTH TOOTH MART FOOD HALL&NIGHT FES

・felissimo chocolate museum

・FELISSIMO f winery

・GLION ARENA KOBE

Turning the "Process" of Reaching a Destination into a Regional Attraction

New Seaport, where the signs will be installed, is one of the waterfront areas in Kobe that is currently undergoing redevelopment and attracting attention. With the opening of GLION ARENA KOBE in April 2025, even more visitors are expected to come to the area.

Instead of simply "walking" to each facility, the intention is to make walking enjoyable and conversational by depicting the unique humor of this city underfoot, such as "45 seconds if a penguin swims" or "712 wine glasses" to the destination. Furthermore, it is hoped that visitors will learn about other facilities in the New Seaport area through the signs, thereby improving the overall circularity of the area.

"The journey to the destination is exciting, and just strolling around is fun. You might even discover facilities you didn't know about." With this in mind, a visual guidance design utilizing the road surface has been introduced as an initiative to increase fans of the entire area.

átoa's Commitment

The Humboldt penguins, which are kept at átoa, will guide the way to átoa. Although they walk slowly, they swim fast, and they were selected because their ecological characteristics could also be conveyed when indicating distance.

This time, the penguin's stride was calculated based on the actual foot size measured by the zookeepers. In addition, the penguin's patterns and form reflect the zookeepers' particular attention to detail.

Using Public Sidewalks in District Planning Areas as a "Canvas"

The installation site for this project is a road (sidewalk) as a district facility developed based on the Kobe City "Shinkocho West District Plan." In recent years, initiatives for "comfortable and walkable" road spaces, such as open cafes and parklets under the "Hokomichi" system, have been implemented. However, "this project targets the road surface itself for design. A square-based design was adopted, considering its affinity with existing road blocks, and also ensuring design flexibility for future expansion of target facilities.

The initiative to permanently deploy road surface signs for the purpose of improving scenery and promoting circularity is unprecedented. It represents a new method of walkable urban development that strategically utilizes public resources "underfoot" within the framework of urban planning.

Changing the City from the "Ground Up" through Industry-Academia Collaboration

In this project, Associate Professor Takagi of Otemae University's Faculty of Architecture & Art supervised the project. Furthermore, students from the same university participated in on-site mockup tests (verification using full-scale models).

By combining specialized design and architectural knowledge with the students' perspectives, a rare pedestrian guidance system in Japan has been designed, utilizing the "ground up" of the road surface.

Another feature of this project is that private businesses and universities jointly undertook the entire process from research and verification to implementation.

Project Overview

● Start Date: March 27, 2026 (Friday)

● Installation Location: Road surface in the Shinkocho area, Kobe City

● Joint Operators: Aquament Co., Ltd. (átoa operating company), Felissimo Corporation

● Cooperation/Supervision: Mr. Hosokawa/Mr. Hayashi of Bowl Inc. (design),

Associate Professor Takagi of Otemae University (supervision), volunteer students from Otemae University (demonstration experiment)

【AQUARIUM×ART átoa】

A theater-style aquarium where living creatures reside, fused with stage art and digital art. The facility is divided into eight unique themes such as caves and spirit forests, where you can encounter approximately 170 species and 4,000 specimens of living creatures in spaces that resemble scenes from movies or plays. Address: 7-2 Shinkocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City

Official Website: https://atoa-kobe.jp/

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: News