Dragon in Osaka's Waters

I see a dragon

If you happen to be in Osaka in October, you are likely to catch a glimpse of a fire-breathing dragon in the local canals. The dragon in question is called Lucky Dragon and is a 7 meter metallic creation perched on a 15 meter long cruise boat. It is part of an Aqua Metropolis celebration being held in Osaka and this beady-eyed creature will be roaming the waterways up until the 12 of October.

And yes, the slinky fellow does breath fire, and if the occasion asks for it, water as well. Not just that – the mean-looking monster can wiggle its wings, just that much, and sway its neck a bit too! Now, given its crowd-drawing capabilities, you probably guessed that this was a tourism increasing venture by the local folks.

The dragon does have a touching story behind its name though. The fact that this boat is called “Lucky Dragon” has a much deeper meaning. It is a tribute of sorts to a tragic nuke fallout exposure event from the 1950s. Story goes that there was an nuke experiment done by US in Bikini Island area in 1954. Unfortunately, local fishermen on-board a Japanese fishing boat called Lucky Dragon were caught in this fallout where many of them were seriously hurt by it. This incident received much international attention and was the focus of much heated debate.

And so, it is not surprising to note that the authorities of Osaka are using Lucky Dragon to convey a very important message – peace amongst men and other such feel-good sayings.

Source: Pink Tentacle