Bangkok now has an underwater Doraemon adventure at SEA LIFE Bangkok

Be honest. How many times did you wish for Doraemon’s Anywhere Door in primary school? One turn of the handle and you’d be out of maths class and on a beach in Phuket. The door never showed up, sadly, but the earless blue robot cat from the twenty-second century does, bringing his mates to Sea Life Bangkok from September 21 to October 31.

Nobita, Shizuka, Gian and Suneo tag along too, popping up across the aquarium’s two basement floors beneath Siam Paragon. It gives the usual loop past the tanks a storyline, with familiar faces waiting around corners and activities pitched at every age, from toddlers to thirtysomethings with a soft spot for weekend-morning cartoons.

The animals hold their own, too. Expect tiny reef fish darting through coral and sharks and rays sliding over the glass tunnel while kids press their palms against the acrylic. The idea is to look at it all the way the gang would, with Doraemon on hand to explain what’s what.

If you grew up watching Nobita sob over another failed test or Gian bellow through a concert nobody asked for, each cameo raises a grin. Children get plenty out of it as well, learning about the ocean from characters they know by heart.

It also makes a smart plan for a rainy-season afternoon. Hop off the BTS at Siam, follow the signs through the mall and swap the downpour for air-con and water that stays where it belongs. Afterwards, grab a dorayaki for old times’ sake – it’s Doraemon’s favourite snack, after all.

Doraemon and friends are at Sea Life Bangkok, B1-B2, Siam Paragon, from Sep 21 to Oct 31. Book tickets here.