The Lost Optimism of Segaia Ocean Dome

The Segaia Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, Kyushu (1993), was a product of Japan's late 20th-century city pop optimism where the rise of Walkmans, Japanese cars and the promise of Fifth Generation Computing Systems made Japanese economic dominance seemingly inevitable. Segaia's "ocean"--larger than six olympic pools--was covered by a dome that could open and close depending on the weather. Facing financial difficulties, the Segaia Ocean Dome closed in 2007 and was demolished in 2017.