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.
