One might deride aquariums as being for children, but there’s a reason why the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is considered Japan’s 2nd Best Aquarium and one of the Top 10 aquariums in the world. This eight story aquarium is designed as an experience, as you meander through the route, circling the buildings exhibits, eventually ending up at the largest tank with 5,400 tons of water and hosting a massive whale shark.
The Kaiyukan was the largest public aquarium in the world when it opened in 1990, today, the aquarium still holds up as an amazing experience that will impress even the most ardent naysayers of aquariums. There are over 30,000 creatures, across 620 species, and simply going through this massive aquarium takes around two and a half hours.
What makes the aquarium stand out, is not just its size, but the design of its exhibits that bring you up close and personal with these magnificent sea creatures. There’s a sense of energy when you watch dolphins swim through a two-story tank, sea lions swim round rock structures, and otters dash up and down logs. There are also plenty of unusual creatures including Japanese spider crabs, the largest crab species in the world that lives 300 to 400m underwater, whale sharks, the largest species of shark,
arapaima, the largest species of freshwater fish, as well as cute mammals like the South American Coati and the Capybara.
