A horde of snorkeling ogres made a splash at the Kaiyukan aquarium in Minato Ward, Osaka on Thursday at the start of an event that celebrates the upcoming Setsubun.
According to the traditional Japanese calendar, Feb. 3 usually marks the advent of spring. But spring will come early in 2021, falling on Feb. 2 for the first time in 124 years. Known as "setsubun," the day is customarily celebrated by tossing handfuls of dried beans while shouting, "Out with ogres! In with good fortune!"
Aquarium staff donned tiger-print shorts and colorful wetsuits in a reconciliatory tribute to the much-maligned ogres, helping with a bit of last-minute spring cleaning as they swam among whale sharks and manta rays. Although Japanese folklore often depicts ogres as fearsome red, black, and blue giants, these cosplaying ogres waved cheerfully to visitors and posed for pictures, dwarfed by the aquarium's massive tank.
"I hope [the event] helps bring everyone fortune and happiness," an aquarium representative said.
The cosplaying divers are to appear three times a day until Feb. 2.
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