It’s held back by an acrylic glass that’s 603 mm (2 feet) thick which previously held the Guinness Book of Records (currently 2nd in the world). You might be wondering what’s holding the 2 million gallons of seawater back in The Kuroshio Sea tank. It was difficult to take pictures in this section since it was really dark. The last part of the aquarium is about the deep sea world featuring 70 species that live below 650 feet (200 meters). There’s also a model of ancient shark’s jaw on display where the children are standing in below. Halfway down the slope, there is a Shark Research Lab with specimens of shark and ray’s parts and information about both. View of The Kuroshio Sea from Cafe “Ocean Blue”. The path is designed as a zigzag sloped walkway so everyone has opportunities to get great views of the tank as they head down to the lower floor (without obstructing others’ view). The design for visitors to view the tank is quite ingenious. The Kuroshio Sea 黒潮の海įinally, you walk down the ramp and see the main feature, The Kuroshio Sea tank, featuring sharks, rays, whale sharks, and 70 other species. We encourage you to catch a movie during your visit as the ending is pretty cool. Japanese lobster tank.īetween the Coral Reef Gallery and The Kuroshio Sea, there’s Churaumi Theater which plays movies once an hour about the ocean life near Okinawa. To start off, once you go through the entrance, there’s a touch pool where visitors are allowed to touch various starfish and sea animals.Īfter the touch pool, the next exhibit is The Coral Sea and the Sea of Tropical Fish where 70 kinds of real corals are grown in the tank along with the tropical fish.įollowing the tropical fish area, there’s a gallery of smaller displays featuring freshwater fish from Okinawa and other ocean creatures that lives around coral reefs. Visitors enter the aquarium on the 4th floor and make their way down to the first floor while viewing the exhibits. The aquarium building consists of 4 levels and it’s fairly easy to self-guide as the path only goes one way from the entrance. The name Churaumi means “clear beautiful ocean” in the Okinawan language. There’s something magical about seeing the giant whale sharks in person swimming in the tank.Ĭhuraumi Aquarium used to be the world’s largest when it first opened but has now been surpassed by aquariums in Atlanta, Singapore, and China. Churaumi Aquarium GuideĬhuraumi Aquarium was one of the highlights during our visit to Okinawa. Since opening in 2002, it has welcomed millions of visitors to its many exhibits about the ocean life surrounding Okinawa. From Naha it takes between 1.5-2.5 hours depending on traffic.With its collection of the whale sharks, rays, and fish from the surrounding ocean, Churaumi Aquarium located in Ocean Expo Park is a must-see when visiting Okinawa!Ĭhuraumi Aquarium is one of the most popular attractions in Okinawa. As the expressway ends, continue on route 58/71, and trace the coast line along route 449. The Yanbaru Express also departs from the airport (2.5 hours).īy car: from Naha and the southern part of the island, take the E58 expressway (toll road) to Nago. Alternatively, from “ Naha Prefectural Office” you can take the Okinawa Airport Shuttle bus, or the Yanbaru Express bus. Alternatively, the Naha-Airport Limousine Bus can also be used.īus bus from Naha: from Naha Bus Terminal, take bus 117 to the stop “ Kinen Koen mae” (2 hours 10 minutes). Okinawa Motobu Guest House ☆ (backpackers choice)īy bus from Nago: from Nago Bus Terminal, take bus 65, 66, 70 or 117 to the stop “ Ishikawa Iriguchi “. Planning your visit HoursĬlosed 1st wednesday and thursday of December There is also a shark research center, where you can learn more about sharks, and observe the large tank which is home to numerous species of sharks, like tiger sharks and bull sharks. Unusual forms of life can be found here, including Bioluminescent organisms such as the splitfin flashlightfish, the pineconefish and luminescent jellyfish. Other tanks of special interest are the deep sea tanks, dedicated to the special creatures which live at the oceans most extreme depths. This tank gives a unique look into the life of a coral reef, the first place in the world where this has been done on a larger scale. Among Churaumi’s 77 tanks is the beautiful coral tank containing 80 types of living corals.
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