An aquarium in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, which was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake that devastated the region last year, has fully reopened.



Participants in a ceremony held at Notojima Aquarium in Nanao City on Saturday pulled a string to break open a ceremonial ball known as kusudama to celebrate the reopening.



Families applauded as dolphins performed spectacular jumps in the popular dolphin show that also restarted on Saturday.



The quake that hit the Noto Peninsula on January 1, 2024, damaged the aquarium's water circulation system and pipes, killing about 4,000 marine creatures.



Dolphins, sea lions and other creatures were evacuated to facilities in and outside the prefecture, forcing the aquarium to close for half a year, until part of the exhibit reopened in July last year, and the marine creatures returned in phases.



Aquarium officials said two sea lions that were returned on Friday will only be exhibited until after they have adapted to the environment, and that they don't know when the sea lion show will be restarted.



A woman from Kanazawa City, who came with three family members, says she was saddened when she heard about the damage the aquarium suffered, and visited after she had heard it was reopening. She said the dolphin show was exciting, but the dolphins themselves were cute.



An aquarium official, Matsuoka Tetsuya, said the reopening owes greatly to everyone's support and that he wants to make the attraction better than before.