About KAIYUKAN

Kaiyukan is one of Japan’s most spectacular aquariums, world-renowned for its innovative presentation. Kaiyukan shows the aquatic animals of the Pacific Rim at their most vibrant and dynamic, by recreating the natural environment of their habitats.

At Kaiyukan there are over 15 large tanks, each recreating a specific region of the Pacific Rim, taking visitors on a virtual tour of the Pacific Ocean. The tanks include, “Japan Forest,” which recreates a sunlit, beautiful Japanese forest; the icy, snow-clad “Antarctica;” and the centerpiece of the aquarium, “Pacific Ocean,” a 9 m deep, 34 m long tank containing 5,400 tons of water, serving as the home of whale sharks, the largest fish species in the world.

To enjoy the roughly two-and-a-half-hour trip around the Pacific, take the spiral ramp all the way from the 8th floor to the 4th floor, leaving the land of terrestrial animals to find yourself stepping into the sea all the way to the ocean floor, discovering marine life from a multitude of perspectives, from huge schools of fish to the wonderfully strange world of the deep sea. If you are lucky enough to be there during feeding times, you can also watch the captivating behavior of marine animals as they engage in unique training sessions designed to help them stay healthy.

Many visitors to Kaiyukan leave inspired by its stimulating and interactive new exhibition area, a space designed to offer sensory experiences of the natural environment, including touching sharks. The new exhibition area proposes one of the shapes to come of aquariums.

Kaiyukan is confident that the encounter with 30,000 creatures encompassing 620 species—including otters, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, whale sharks, rays, and jellyfish, to name just a few—will prove a deeply rewarding experience.