Kuji Underground Aquarium and Science Museum Moguranpia

Located in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, this underground aquarium and science museum occupies a service tunnel at the Kuji National Oil Storage Base, offering a chance to learn about marine life and local culture. Its varied exhibits include the Kuji Sea Tank, featuring fish from the waters of Sanriku and Kuji, such as fat greenling, black rockfish, and slime flounder; a touch tank where visitors can touch various marine creatures; a deep-sea exhibit introducing life in the ocean depths; and a jellyfish exhibit where jellyfish appear to glow in the darkness.

In the Tunnel Tank, you can see Kamekichi, a turtle that survived the Great East Japan Earthquake, swimming alongside fish from the waters off Sanriku, known as one of the world's three major fishing grounds. The Kuji Sea Tank also offers an up-close look at diving demonstrations of Nanbu helmet diving and the Northernmost Ama, female free divers—two traditions closely tied to Kuji's sea. This is the only place in the world where you can watch both types of diving underwater, with demonstrations held on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

On the 4th floor, the Sakana-kun Corner features fish exhibits, illustrations, and more by Moguranpia's chief supporter, Sakana-kun. The Disaster Preparedness Exhibition Room on the 3rd floor offers a look beyond the marine environment, introducing the culture rooted in Kuji's sea and the region's recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.