As part of our recent visit, we decided to give the Osaka Aquarium a go, and we weren't disappointed. The Aquarium was well worth the money, and beats anything we have in OZ, without getting wet. Hospitality is great, and everyone is made to feel welcome. Mums and Dads as well as the kids are kept in awe as you wander down through the various floors/levels to see everything this facility has to offer....all in air-conditioned comfort, which was much appreciated during the summer months. Evreyone in attendance on the day was respectful of crowds/queues, and happy to saunter along at the same pace.
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Access is quick, and easy, but some aspects need clarification, especially,,,

1. Why are the Penguins searched...? Is it drugs or weapons the attendants are looking for..? (see Pic 1)

2. If the penguins are reluctant to enter the water (which looks damned cold), why is there a need to put the boot in..(Pic 2) ?

Otherwise, a great day out for all the family, and despite some issues (mainly from the Penguin brigade, but a few Otters also voiced concerns) well worth the visit/money.

Highly recommended for a family visit.

This is definitely a touristy place. For an Aquarium, it is a little pricey (2000 Yen). But the concept is pretty interesting.

You enter this tunnel with fish swimming overhead (sounds familiar to us because it resembled the one in Singapore). Then you take an escalator to the top floor and spiral downwards.

This aquarium was unique because it tried to theme the experience around the different regions. The first exhibit is rather elaborate as it is set in a rainforest.

After that you view exhiits through glass panels. My favourite was the penguin exhibit. (See photo) The dolphin exhibit was interesting too because it was feeding time so the trainer was trying to get the dolphin near the glass panel.

The main exhibit of the aquarium is supposed to be the whale shark (see photo). They have touch pools and other little games at the end but i kinda preferred Monterrey's better.

You must really like sea life to enjoy this totally. But if not, it is rather a nice site to wander around in, especially on a rainy day. There is a little shopping centre next to it that you can wander around and it has a huge 100 yen shop.

This aquarium has to be one of the most exciting and interesting buildings anywhere. The work which went into the building of this place and the marine life housed there are well worth visiting and the entry price for what is on show is most reasonable.

A great aquarium, beat out my expectations. 2000 yen is a little expensive for an aquarium in US terms, but being that Monterey Bay was also 20 dollars USD i thought it would be okay. We took the subway there (non-JR line) and saw a package deal for a 1-day pass on most of the non JR lines and the aquarium ticket for around 2800, which we thought was great.

After getting there, the place is quite easy to find (<5 min walk from subway station). The aquarium has a very unique consturction that it goes up above ground with huge indoortanks going upwards. Overall the trip will take you about 1 hr to 1.5 hr to see everything, more if you wanna browse around the gift shop where the japanese residnets go crazy.

I went on a weekend, it was a bit crowded but managable. Weekdays probably better. There are kids but they aren't that bad, so don't hesitate if you go as an adult :)

Inside tip: pick up the 300 yen audio tour, available in english, chinese, and korean. they are by the entrance, well labeled. Well worth the 300 yen! i felt like it was a bargain even if i only learned a few facts. kept me entertained as well. the system plays audio automatically when you enter one of the audio areas, no keys required. Japan ingenuity!

Overall, if you have the time to go (maybe if you're in Osaka for 2 days), make sure to check out the Aquarium.