Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

This very popular aquarium is home to more than 20,000 marine creatures of 700 species.
Based on the concept of “Encountering the Okinawan Sea,” the aquarium introduces a variety of marine life, including ino (Okinawan dialect for shallow waters at the edge of coral reefs), coral reefs, the Kuroshio Current Sea, and the deep sea. 

In the “Kuroshio Sea,” one of the world’s largest giant tanks, visitors can see the 8.6-meter-long whale shark and southern blue manta rays swimming in a powerful display.

The tank runs from the first to the second floor and is 35 meters long, 27 meters wide, and 10 meters deep.
Sharks, rays, and a wide variety of migratory fish from the Kuroshio Current swim in the tank, filling the entire field of vision with a majestic world of mysterious sea creatures.

The tank is also famous for its whale sharks, which feed in a vertical position with their mouths facing the water.
The depth of the tank was designed to be 10 meters so that the whale shark’s tail does not rub the bottom of the water.

In the “Shark Doctor’s Room,” visitors can learn about sharks, and in the “Sea of Dangerous Sharks” tank, several species of sharks, including bull sharks and tiger sharks, which are a type of dangerous sharks that live in the waters around Okinawa, are also kept.

In the “Sea of Coral” tank, which is bathed in sunlight, visitors can observe large-scale corals and colorful tropical fish.

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is located in the Ocean Expo Park of the National Okinawa Memorial Park, and within the park there is the “Oki-chan Theater” where dolphin shows are held, the “Dolphin Lagoon,” the “Manatee Pavilion,” and the “Sea Turtle Pavilion.

The Oki-chan Theater and Iruka Lagoon are free of charge, and visitors can observe shows and breeding of bottlenose dolphins, southern bottlenose dolphins, yellow-bellied gandals, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and white-beaked dolphins.