Top 10 Most Beautiful Aquariums You Should Visit in Japan

1

Sunshine Aquarium

• Operating time: 10:00 - 18:00.
  Ticket price: 2,200 yen/adult. There is a discount for children.
  Access: It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station.
  Address: 3-1-3 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo-to.
  Website: sunshinecity.jp/aquarium
  Sunshine Aquarium is known as the "Oasis in the sky", a place that attracts a large number of visitors from adults to children. Coming to Sunshine Aquarium, you will admire an extremely diverse ecological world, with rare animals you may have never seen before.

  Home to hundreds of marine and aquatic animals, Sunshine Aquarium offers an impressive and interactive exploration of marine life. Located on the rooftop of the World Import Mart Building in Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, a trip to this state-of-the-art aquarium is an opportunity to relax and study, taking a break from sightseeing and shopping.

  Sunshine Aquarium has two floors containing indoor tanks and an outdoor extension called the Marine Garden. The first floor features sea creatures from all over the world. Immerse yourself in the deep cobalt blue of the water and you'll forget you're in Tokyo. Enjoy the atmosphere of the fairyland as you walk through the dimly lit tunnels, the deep sea sound effects will make your experience more real. The second floor has a theme of rivers and lakes. No less impressive, the freshwater "cast" here includes turtles and frogs alongside crowded schools of fish growth. You'll meet sea lions, penguins and other creatures on your way to the outdoor aqua ring, a tank that makes the most of the aquarium's rooftop location.

  As a completely transparent aquarium shaped like a donut, the Sunshine Aqua Ring on the rooftop sets the Sunshine Aquarium apart from other aquariums. Based on the aquarium's theme of being an "oasis in the sky", sea lions frolic and swim above you, creating an interesting contrast against the backdrop of buildings and the skyline.

2

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

• Address: 424 Ishikawa, Motobu, Kunigami District, Okinawa 905-0206, Japan
  Open: November 1, 2002
  Area: 2 hectares
  Number of animals: 21,000
  Number of species: 740
  Japan is a country with many large and famous aquariums in the world, one of which is the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. This is the most appreciated place in terms of breadth and species diversity that hardly any aquarium can match.

  The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is part of Ocean Expo Park, established in 1975 on the Motobu peninsula of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. In 2002, the aquarium was renovated and home to 26,000 marine creatures from over 740 different species. Currently, Okinawa Churaumi has been recognized as the largest and best aquarium in the world.

  Originally, Okinawa Churaumi was just a part of Okinawa's Ocean Expo Commemorative National Government Park established in 1975. It was later designed and rebuilt to become a large aquarium. The world's largest aquarium opened in 2001. Naming this aquarium is also complicated because Japanese people have to vote publicly to choose the name. In the Okinawan dialect, “Chura” means “beautiful” or “graceful” and “Umi” means “ocean.” True to its name, it recreates the beautiful waters of Okinawa in a giant aquarium. This aquarium was built to honor and protect the unique beauty of the marine species of this southern island.

  When coming here, visitors will be overwhelmed with the vastness and design structure of the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. This place is divided into 3 areas according to the living conditions of creatures according to the water layer, with the area of ​​the exhibition and sightseeing building of 10,000 m2 with more than 77 large and small aquariums. In particular, the main aquarium has a size of 8.2 x 22.5m, a thickness of 60cm, can hold water up to 7,500 m3. The aquarium is arranged so that visitors will start from the beach on the 4th floor and then go deeper and deeper until the 1st floor. Like experiencing the depth of the ocean in reality. On the way down to the aquarium, in addition to watching marine species in the 3 main tanks, visitors can also participate in other activities, watch dolphin shows, see the traditional Uminchu-style gate, etc. You can listen to free talks on ocean life and watch staff feed sharks and rays.

3

Uminonakamichi Aquarium

• Address: 18-28 Saitozaki, Higashi Ward, Fukuoka 811-0321, Japan
  Phone: +81 92-603-0400
  Open: April 18, 1989
  Number of animals: 20,000
  Uminonakamichi Seaside Park (海の中道海浜公園, Uminonakamichi Kaihin Kōen) The park is made up of several different areas including a flower garden, a playground, an amusement park with a ferris wheel, and a sports field. , water park, zoo and open space and perfect lawn for picnicking.

  Come visit Marine World Uminonakamichi with your family! At this stunning shell-shaped aquarium, you'll get to see more than 20,000 marine creatures from 450 species, and watch as you scuba feed 20 species of fish, including 150 sharks in one of the large aquariums best of the world.

  In addition, the aquarium has a huge stadium pool, where dolphin and sea lion shows are held daily. The stadium opens onto Hakata Bay on one side, providing spectators with a beautiful view of central Fukuoka during performances. Note that the aquarium requires a separate entrance fee from Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. With a backdrop of picturesque Hakata Bay. You will surely have an unforgettable day of sightseeing with your family!

4

Fukushima Aquarium

• Address: 50 Tatsumicho, Onahama, Iwaki 971-8101 Fukushima Prefecture
  Opening time: from 9:00 to 17:30. However, from 1/12 to 20/3 only open until 17:00.
  Aquamarine Fukushima is a “natural aquarium” with aquatic species raised in an environment that closely resembles their natural habitat. In addition to being an aquarium, Aquamarine Fukushima is also a research and education center for the sustainability and conservation of the natural environment.

  The main exhibits are two huge water tanks extending from the second to the fourth floor, recreating the Shiome no Umi, an area of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture where Kuroshio (Black Stream) and Oyashio (The Kurile Line) meet. Visitors can walk through a transparent tunnel and feel the biological diversity of the marine world at Shiome no Umi, especially with its huge schools of sardines and tuna.

  On the fourth floor, visitors can visit a tranquil botanical garden, which displays various plants of Fukushima Prefecture. In addition, it will be a wonderful experience to see the underwater life of sea creatures from the edge of the main water tank. The aquarium also has a touch tank where visitors can try touching starfish and other small sea creatures.

  Since its opening, Aquamarine Fukushima has conducted research on ancient fish called coelacanths, and the scientific findings are displayed in a corner on the first floor entitled Coelacanths World. Here, visitors can view an anatomical specimen of the rarely seen coelacanth and watch exclusive footage of live coelacanths.

  There are many events held throughout the year, with lots of activities for kids and families like fish mazes, art festivals and fishing experiences to catch real fish for lunch! If you don't want to go fishing, you can visit the seafood market just a 10-minute walk from the aquarium! Iwaki Rara Myu offers fresh seafood and an on-site restaurant where guests can dine on freshly caught locally caught fish.

5

Kamogawa Sea World

Address: 1464-18 Higashichō, Kamogawa, Chiba 296-0041, Japan

Phone: +81 4-7093-4803

Kamogawa Sea World, located facing the Pacific coast, is a typical aquarium in Japan built with the theme "Encounter with the Ocean World". Here you can learn about the importance of life and learn a lot of interesting knowledge about the sea. The aquarium is home to more than 11,000 creatures native to rivers, lakes and oceans of 800 different species.

In addition, there are also shows of 4 species of marine animals: killer whales (candies of the ocean), dolphins, sea lions and white whales. In particular, the performance of killer whales is extremely attractive and highly anticipated. The image of a killer whale with a giant size jumping up is an extremely impressive performance that you can hardly see in other aquariums.