A trip around the whole world in a single day, the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan offers 16 different settings from the Aqua Gates, letting you walk among the swimming fish to the cute penguins and wide-eyed seals. Witness magnificent living beings as you stroll around one of the world’s largest aquariums.
Features
Numerous exhibits for the different areas of the world
The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan introduces various kinds of marine life and other inhabitants living in the different habitats from the Pacific Rim through 16 exhibits; each one displayed in a very organized way to provide visitors a once in a lifetime experience of visiting different waters of the world in one place.
The New Interactive Exhibit Area, which opened in 2013, introduces three different regions, namely: Arctic Region, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), and Maldives Islands. This area allows visitors to experience being in the actual environment of the animals living in those regions.
From the colorful school of fishes to the cute seals and penguins
The aquarium is home to at least 30,000 animals representing more than 600 different species. It doesn’t only exhibit marine inhabitants from the different waters around the world but also some of the most spectacular living beings from the forest.
Some of the exciting exhibitions and their most prominent inhabitants are:
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Japan Forest - Start of the tour after entering the Aqua Gate and just before descending to see other exhibitions. This houses Asian small-clawed otters, river crabs, Japanese giant salamander, and other river fishes and creatures living near water.
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Antarctica - A fantastic exhibit of the continent of Antarctica where King penguins, Gentoo penguins, and Adelie penguins show their way of living in the harsh Antarctic environment.
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Great Barrier Reef - known as the world’s largest coral reef system, this region exhibits exquisite reproduction of the reef with different colored fishes such as Pennant coral fishes, Palette surgeonfishes, and Threadfin butterflyfishes swimming around them.
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Pacific Ocean - This aquarium is 9 meters deep and 34 meters long. This exhibits the marine life inhabiting the Pacific Ocean, the largest and deepest ocean in the world. Whale shark (one of the always most anticipated inhabitants in the aquarium), Spotted eagle rays, and Indian mackerels are some of the living creatures that you may see in this area.
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Jellyfish - This area exhibits various kinds of jellyfishes, such as Moon jellies, Fried egg jellyfishes, and Japanese sea nettles.
These are only some of the remarkable exhibits and creatures that will greet you when you visit the aquarium. Other exhibitions are: the Gulf of Panama, Aleutian Islands, Monterey Bay, Ecuador Rainforest, Tasman Sea, Seasonal Exhibits, Seto Inland Sea, Cook Strait, Coast of Chile, Japan Deep, and the Aqua Gate where the visitors gets a sneak-peak of the underwater life.
Aqua Gates takes you under the sea in a transparent tunnel
Visitors enter the aquarium through an underwater tunnel. The “Fish Underpass - Aqua Gates,” which houses various kinds of fishes swimming around the transparent tunnel in schools and rays swimming freely to greet everyone, lets visitors experience walking under the sea. The beautiful blue color of the water that reflects around the tunnel through its transparent glass is a spectacular view not just to kids but also to kids at heart.
Writer's Pick
Highlights and famous animals
The Ringed Seals leave everyone squealing with their sheer cuteness
Although Ringed Seals are the smallest kind of seals in the Arctic, they are the most common in the area. When you visit the aquarium, you may be able to witness them up-close digging the ice through the separator panel that is only the height of a person’s chest. You may also view them through one of the largest ceiling-dome aquariums in the world where they often take a quick dive and swim.
The Rockhopper Penguins in close proximity
Rockhopper penguins are probably one of the many species of penguins that most of us are familiar with in terms of appearance. Mature Rockhopper penguins possess red eyes and tall, spiky yellow hair that may give them a different impression than other breeds, but they share the same cute clumsiness as all penguins have. When younger, they look very similar to other penguins of their kind, though a tinge of yellow feathers is striped naturally on their heads, and their beaks a darker orange. Visitors may witness them right before their eyes, as well as their capability to swim at about 7 km per hour.
Sharks and Rays are closer than ever
Since the separation panels are only the height of a person’s chest, visitors can softly and gently touch the back of Honeycomb whip rays, Pitted stingrays, as well as of Brownbanded bamboo sharks swimming freely in one of the largest touch pools in Japan.
From 5 o’clock, the whole aquarium transforms to “The Sea at Night” as they shift from regular lights during the day to moonlight-like lights and beautiful music for a more enjoyable lifelike experience under the sea. The whole aquarium quickly changes the atmosphere when the sky turns dark, switching on various lights to create a mystical mood.
Nearby places to enjoy
If you still have some time to spare after an exciting day at the aquarium or another day to take a look around the area, there are lots of beautiful and exciting places and activities to choose from.
The Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel is one of the largest in the world
Open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel is located at the Tempozan Harbor Village and is just a neighbor of the Osaka Aquarium. In a span of 17 minutes, a ride in the Ferris wheel allows people to see the Mount Ikoma, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Kansai International Airport, and the Rokko Mountains on a sunny day.
The wheel also displays colored lights that signify a weather forecast for the next day. For example, the color orange and red implies a sunny day, in contrast to the blue that means rain and green for a cloudy day.
The replica of the famous ship, Cruise Ship Santa Maria
If you want to witness the beauty of the Osaka harbor, riding La Santa Maria is the perfect activity for you and your family and friends. Built and modeled two times larger than the ship it was inspired after, Santa Maria - the ship that Christopher Columbus used on his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean - a ride that lasts about 45 minutes takes you around famous spots in the Osaka Bay area. This is the best way to capture the beautiful scenery of the sun setting.
Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho offers both local and national favorites
An exciting visit to a great place will never be complete without food tripping. The Osaka byname is "Tenka no Daidokoro," or translated to "The Nation's Kitchen", and is prominent for the ultimate food experience that would surely satisfy your taste.
At the shopping mall, there is a wide variety of restaurants to choose from; the food theme park called "Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho," offers a range of local Japanese cuisine. Famous for its 1960's ambience of the Osaka neighborhood, you will enjoy takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, and other Japanese dishes that many people cry out for to try.
Undoubtedly, it is a must to visit Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho with your loved ones to enjoy, probably one of the most delicious meals you will ever taste.
Summary
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is one of the largest aquariums in the world and houses more than 30,000 living creatures. The aquarium displays 16 permanent exhibits and three interactive exhibitions. These exhibits are representations of the different areas around the Pacific Rim. They are not only composed of the animals living there but also of the temperature, sight, and other factors affecting the zone - all displayed in a well-organized manner.
Outside the aquarium are other spectacular destinations that offer great activities for everyone to experience. A visit to Kaiyukan will not only take you to see the beauty of our world’s marine life and nature but will also let you experience a wonderful journey worth remembering.
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