Wonderland of fungi and moyashimon

"Moyashimon--Tales of Agriculture" is a Japanese manga series created by Masayuki Ishikawa. It follows a campus life of college students at an agricultural university. "Moyashimon" means the mold-starter producer. Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki, the main protagonist, has a unique ability to see and communicate with microorganisms. This series gained much popularity in Japan and an anime TV series was aired in 2007. Highly abstracted characters of various microorganisms, which Sakwaki recognizes like that, win the hearts and minds of people.

On Jan 2, Mari, Ken and I visited an exhibition "the wonderland of fungi" held at the National Science Museum (http://www.kahaku.go.jp/english) . The exhibition consisted of seven parts: i) birth and diversification of fungi; ii) phylogenetic position of fungi; iii) what is fungi? iv) wonder of luminescent fungi; v) room of fungi scientists; vii) roles of fungi in the forest; vii) future of fungi and earth. I fully enjoyed this exhibition, but Mari and Ken walked through there soon.

Posters in the exhibition hall. (Left) Classification on fungi. (Right) Phylogenetic tree of life.


(Left) An advertising poster. (Right) A drawing of principal characters of moyashimon by the creator. Sawaki is the nearest guy.


There are a steam train at the entrance of museum (left) and a whale at the exit (right).


(Left) Ticket for the exhibition. It looks like a bill. (right) Entrance of the exhibition hall.


(Left) Plastic model of Aspergillus oyzae, a fungal known as koji-mold. (Right) This mold is recognized by Sawaki as illustrated.

A. oryzae is closely related to A. flavus, an aflatoxin-producing fungus, whereas that has no aflatoxin-producing enzyme. The Brewing Society of Japan regards this fungi as the "nation's fungi" of Japan.

There are many figures of moyashimon characters of microorganisms.
A. oryzae (left) and A. niger (right) .


Specimens of various mushrooms (left) and a long net stinkhorn (Dictyophora indusiata; right) fixed with resin.


Shiitake mushroom fungi (Lentinus edodes; left) are living in the kitchen (right).


(Left) Plant has highly toxic neurotoxin-producing bacteria (i.e. Clostridium botulinum). (Right) Oranges have numerous Penicillium fungi.


(Left) O-157, a strain of pathogenic Escherichia coli, are present in the restroom. (Right) Saccharomyces cerevisae, or baker's yeast. I frequently used it for my research.


(Left) An illustration of A. oryzae drawn with living cells. Green, A. oryzae; black, A. niger. (Right) Cladosporium tricoides in the restroom.


In the exhibition hall, there are a lot of drawings made by moyashimon creator.


Ken and I appeared in a photo with moyashimon characters (left). Fungi said us, "Everyone is looking you!" (middle) and "It's embarrassing, but hold on! (right)


The creator displayed several original drawings of moyashimon at the exhibition hall.


Goods (left) and a comic (right) of moyashimon.


Regarding discovery of the ability of slime molds to solve puzzles, five Japanese scientists won the 18th Ig Nobel Prize of Cognitive science in 2008. Unfortunately, I could not find any section for slime molds in the exhibition hall; this is probably because slime molds are not involved in fungi.

This exhibition obtained full cooperation of the Moyashimon creator and succeeded in attracting many people. The visitors would like either fungi or moyashimon, although it appeared the later was the majority. Since I graduated a Faculty of Agriculture at a University, I love both of them.