Toba Aquarium

Opened in 1955, this long-beloved aquarium once started with about 50 different breeding species, but became the home of the most species in Japan when it surpassed over 1,200 species in 2013. The Toba Aquarium is also the only place in Japan that raises dugongs, offering a number of different exhibits and shows to enjoy during your visit.

Inside you’ll find a habitat where African manatee are raised, the “Undersea Kingdom” clear, underwater tube that you can walk through, or even visit the “Sea of Iseshima/Sea of Japan” area where the adorable finless porpoise awaits. Home to a truly wide and varied number of creatures, the aquarium is even known for opening its “Curious Creatures Research Institute” In 2013, which kept a number of interesting critters like the giant beetle that was famous for going long spans of time without needing food, or the nicknamed “dog frog” whose cry sounds like a dog barking.

This aquarium has achieved number of accolades for its research, including breeding a 3rd generation nautilus for the first time in world history, keeping the longest record for raising a dugong, the first birth of sea otters in Japan, or the world’s first breeding of the finless porpoise, a small sized whale that lives in the seawaters around Japan.