Kagoshima City Aquarium is a hot visiting spot at Kagoshima Bay (also known as Kinko Bay) in Kagoshima city. It has a great variety of marine creatures, including whale shark, the largest fish in world. Visitors can also enjoy various events like the dolphin show.
About the Aquarium "Io World Kagoshima Aquarium"
In Kagoshima City Aquarium, there are as many as 500 species and 30,000 living exhibits centered on the local ones in the waters of Kagoshima. (As in July 2019) The aquarium complex is 5-storeyed with tanks in different sizes with different themes, in different unique corners on each storey. Visitors can also take in the magnificent views of Kagoshima Bay (Kinko Bay) and Sakurajima at the observatory hall on the 5th storey.
Highlights of Kagoshima City Aquarium
Kagoshima City Aquarium is attractive for its living exhibits and events, along with the nice variety of souvenirs at the museum shop and great meals at its restaurant. This time, we would like to introduce some of the immersive highlights.
Kuroshio Water Tank- the Whale Shark, the Largest Fish in World
The Kuroshio water tank is on the 2nd storey; it is 25-meter long, 13-meter wide, and 5-meter deep, it is the largest tank in aquarium that shows the cinematic sea life of whale shark, tuna, skip-jack tuna, and rays. Also, check out the whale shark feeding time in every 5 minutes from 10:15 a.m., which is absolutely breathtaking to see. (As of July 2019)
Unique Exhibitions- “Deep Sea in Kagoshima”
Enter various breathtaking underwater realms- “ Sea of the islands on southwest Japan” with colorful tropical fishes, the heart-calming “Jellyfish corridor”, and “ The deep sea of Kagoshima” that present the extraordinary mood as if diving deep. A must-see is the “Sea slug research institute” on the 2nd storey. It is a general corner that visitors can come and meet with a large amount of colorful, small sea slugs throughout the year. It reveals the secrets of such a mysterious life, which is very special in the world indeed.
Experience the Hot Event- the Interactive “Dolphin Time”
Kagoshima City Aquarium has many activities to keep visitors engaged, including guided tours with a detailed explanation about the diets of spotted seals and electric eels, while the hottest one we should never miss is dolphin time- it is a popular event with a huge number of themed workshops for participants to experience the biology of dolphins.
Also, do not miss the “Dolphin route”, a water pathway connected to the outdoor area in which dolphin swims throughout freely every day. The “Blue sky dolphin watching” is another impressive performance with dolphin jumps and precious chances to get close to the daily training of the lovely animal.
Business Hours & Admission Fees
Kagoshima City Aquarium is open from 9:30 am – 6 pm, with the last admission at 5 pm. The closing time is extended to 9 pm during the golden week in May, the Obon season in August, and Christmas. It is regularly closed for 4 days from the 1st Monday in December.
The admission fee for adult is 1,500 yen. (As of July 2019)
Access to Kagoshima City Aquarium
Get to Kagoshima City Aquarium by city tram or bus from JR Kagoshima Chuo station. Ride on the tram bound to “Kagoshima Ekimae”, get off at the closet stop, “Suizokukan-guchi”, and walk for 8 minutes. The tram ride is around 15 minutes.
It is also serviced by the bus bound for “Kagoshima Suizokukan (aquarium)” or “Dolphin port”. Get off at the closest stop “Kagoshima Suizokukan-mae”, and walk for around 3 minutes. The bus ride is about 15 minutes.
Spot information
- Spot name：Kagoshima City Aquarium
- Address：3-1, Honkoshin-machi, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima (zip code 892-0814)
- Access：Kagoshima Chuo station🡪 [city tram] approx. 15-min🡪 Suizokukan-guchi station…walk for 8-min OR Kagoshima Chuo station🡪 [bus] approx. 15-min🡪 Kagoshima Suizokukan-mae station…walk for 3-min
- Wi-Fi：Available
- Language：English
- Ticket Purchase：At the entrance or in convenience stores
- Credit cards：No credit cards accepted for admission
- VISA, MasterCard, JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Diners Club International (souvenir shop)
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