Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium, a facility built around creating new connections between people and the sea, is giving the animals that live there icy treats from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 23, 2026, to help them and visitors get through the hot summer together. As terms like "extreme heat" come up more often each year, the aquarium has been giving Japanese squirrels ice treats every summer since 2020. This year, alongside the annual vegetable ice for the squirrels, Asian small-clawed otters will also receive shaved ice. Visitors can catch the animals' varied reactions to the ice, a sight only seen during this season, while enjoying a cool moment and learning more about each animal's charm.
Back Again This Year: Vegetable Ice for the Japanese Squirrels
The Japanese squirrels will be given ice containing sweet potato, apple, komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), carrot, and walnuts. The ice treat has become a summer tradition as the heat grows more intense each year. Squirrels are actually not fond of hot weather, so this year the enclosure again has mist showers set up to keep them comfortable. Visitors can see cool, rarely-seen sights, such as the squirrels relaxing against the ice or eagerly gnawing on chilled sweet potato. Also worth watching are the keepers' efforts to support the animals' daily lives and how skillfully the squirrels make use of them to beat the heat.
- Date: Every day from Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August 23
- Time: Around 9:00 AM (may vary by day)
- Location: 1st floor, Hirose River — Mountains, Countryside, and Rivers of Tohoku
Keepers' Special Touch: Otter Shaved Ice
The otters are normally given ice as a way to stay hydrated, but during this period keepers will treat them to specially made shaved ice. Keepers carefully shave the ice by hand, then finish it kakigori-style by shaving ice mixed with krill and sprinkling it on top. Along with offering visitors a cool sight, keepers designed the event with fish tucked inside the ice to draw out the otters' rich range of behaviors. Watch as the otters dig fish out of the ice or work together to move and melt it, thoroughly absorbed in their treat.
- Date: July 31, and August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 23
- Time: From 1:00 PM (about 5 minutes)
- Location: 2nd floor, "Oceans of the World" Africa — Otter tank
