Tweet of the Week #131: Noto’s Giant Squid Statue Is Not Alone

A small coastal town in Ishikawa Prefecture, Noto, disturbed the wa (和（わ）, peace) after unveiling its brand new tourist attraction, a giant statue of a flying squid. The figure is an homage to the city’s delicacy. While squid isn’t to everyone’s taste, the real controversy is that the town spent 25 million yen ($230,000) from their Covid-19 relief fund to erect the 9-meter long pink cephalopod.

The decision to focus on tourism when Japan still faces hardship during the pandemic provoked criticism, calling it a waste of money. The town hopes it’ll help revive post-Covid tourism. Whether it’ll work remains to be seen. Here’s a video of the giant calamari in all its glory.

If Noto had built their nearly six-ton flying squid at any other given time, nobody would have cared. After all, statues of sea creatures and local specialties are common in Japan. Every prefecture has one in a small town somewhere to attract tourists.

Japan Twitter shared a few of their favorites.

Attack of the sea monsters

能登のイカ
天草のタコ
志摩のエビ
紋別のカニ pic.twitter.com/bxQvRm24un

— ボヘミアン (@hide_luxe) May 5, 2021

能登（のと）のイカ

天草（あまくさ）のタコ

志摩（しま）のエビ

紋別（もんべつ）のカニ

“Noto’s Squid

Amakusa’s Octopus

Shima’s Lobster

Monbetsu’s Crab Claw”

Nakashibetsu’s scary salmon head

中標津の鮭の頭 pic.twitter.com/rIYleeFoNb

— コノヱ@オホーツク地方 (@kyokuduki99) May 6, 2021

中標津（なかしべつ）の鮭（しゃけ）の頭（あたま）

“The salmon head of Nakashibetsu (in Hokkaido).”

Ibaraki’s giant marlin

大洗のカジキもお願いします pic.twitter.com/9qWILr6XUn

— モゲ＠ヒュン吸いしたい (@mogege) May 6, 2021

大洗（おおあらい）のカジキもお願（ねが）いします

“Please [share] the swordfish from Oarai (in Ibaraki) too.”

Tochigi’s weird dinosaur

栃木の紛らわしい形の恐竜 pic.twitter.com/6BLBoatSCK

— スグル (@kingsuguru96) May 6, 2021

栃木（とちぎ）の紛（まぎわ）らわしい形（かたち）の恐竜（きょうりゅう）

“Tochigi’s weirdly shaped dinosaur.”

Japanese vocabulary for sea creatures

Time to brush up your Japanese vocabulary and get some words going to talk about what’s living in the ocean.

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