Shinagawa Aquarium: An Aquatic Escape

What better way to spend an afternoon than to admire some colorful fish and catch a show? Located next to Shinagawa Municipal Park, the Shinagawa Aquarium is some adorable fish, seals, penguins and even dolphins.

Walking through an underwater tunnel is incredibly soothing, and if you glance up at the right time you may even be able to catch a glimpse of a manta ray swimming overhead. I also particularly enjoyed the jellyfish exhibit, as was mesmerized by the fluorescent creatures bobbing up and down in their tanks. The penguin enclosure is also a must see – who doesn’t like adorable waddling penguins? For young children the Touch Tank is a great choice as it allows to interact first hand with the sea creatures. The aquarium also often holds a special experience in which you can try harvesting your very own pearl from a clam (for a fee). The experience was very popular with visitors to the aquarium. You can even arrange to get your pearl made in to a unique piece of jewelry at the booth, and needless to say I was more than tempted.

A variety of shows are also held throughout the day (which run for a maximum of 20 minutes). I was lucky enough to catch both the seal show and the dolphin show, although there is also a feeding time show and an underwater show. At the seal show the star seal performs some very impressive tricks and is even well conversed in Japanese culture as it can take a deep bow. During the dolphin show there is a possibility that you may get wet, so be prepared. Watch as the dolphins leap out of their tank, race around their tank, do tricks, and even sing. For dining options there is the Restaurant Dolphin right next door, which is decorated with very cute sea creature balloons and overlooks a lake in Shinagawa Municipal Park.