A small business based in Nagoya, central Japan, is offering people of all ages a chance to step into colorful fish tails and learn the graceful art of "mermaid swimming."
The practice of donning a mermaid costume and displaying underwater moves inspired by the mythical creatures has been growing in popularity, especially in countries such as the United States and the Philippines, where professionals are increasingly hired to perform at events and parties.
"I want to help it catch on in Japan, too," said Shoko Goto, 44, head of Mermaid Academy Japan.
During one session in mid-May, eight students gathered at a local diving pool to channel their inner mermaids. Their pink and yellow costume tails fluttered as they practiced underwater spins, working to master smooth movements with a monofin.
"If you rush it, you reveal your human nature," advised Goto, who is known professionally as Mermaid Shellina. "Slow down, go nice and easy."
Teachers at the academy provide detailed instruction on everything from swimming technique to the proper fingertip angle for various moves.
A 26-year-old woman based in Tokyo who has been attending the academy for a little under a year said, "I started taking classes because I wanted to be like Ariel from Disney's 'The Little Mermaid.' My goal is to appear in a live performance."
According to Goto, mermaid swimming is all about elegance and beauty rather than competition such as in swimming for speed or distance.
Along with a growing number of freelancers who perform professionally, there are also thriving communities of hobbyists and cosplayers who cultivate alter-egos as merpeople through in-person gatherings and sharing photos online.
Coming across such images on Instagram in 2015 is what inspired Goto to make her mermaid dreams a reality. Although she had no special proficiency as a swimmer, she had loved the popular mermaid story since childhood and wanted to challenge herself.
Through regular trips to a local municipal pool, she trained herself to stay underwater for longer durations and mastered on her own the necessary swimming performance techniques. She went on to earn a professional certification as a mermaid swimming instructor in 2020.
The school in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, was launched the same year. Attracting students was difficult at first, but with the school's growing reach through social media, over 250 people in total have joined classes or experiential events, Goto said, with participants ranging from age 6 to those in their 70s and an increasing number of males signing up.
The school has also organized mermaid performances at an aquarium in the prefecture and other venues around the country.
"For anyone who dreams of being a mermaid, I encourage them to go for it at any age," she said.
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