Visit these 8 aquariums near Tokyo on your next Japan trip!

If you’ve run out of date ideas for your families and loved ones, then a visit to an aquarium or two in Tokyo might just do the trick! Just looking at hundreds of sea creatures swimming gracefully in a large aquarium is quite a healing experience. For those with kids, this experience will be packed with fun learning too.

To help you a bit with your planning, we’ve picked out 11 popular aquariums in the suburbs of Tokyo! Each one has its own personality and should be enjoyed in different ways. Ready for an underwater adventure? Let’s go!

Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa is about a 2-minute walk from Shinagawa Station. Located inside the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, this aquarium is quite easy to access. Once you step foot in the aquarium, you’ll be delighted by a lively space with vibrant lights and soft sounds.

The fusion of digital art and fish swimming in the aquariums is just a sight to see! It can be said that it’s a new-generation aquarium that overturns the image of usual aquariums so far. There’s also a popular bar area where you can enjoy a drink while watching sea creatures swim around, so we highly recommend couples and friends to drop by the bar!

Shinagawa Aquarium, located in Shinagawa Kumin Park, is an aquarium that houses over 450 species of sea creatures and is a perfect destination for a family day out! One of the charms of this aquarium is its extensive exhibits that are on par with large-scale aquariums. Inside the aquarium are two floors — one on the sea surface and the other on the bottom of the sea, where you can see different animals like seals, fishes, otters, and sea turtles.

There are also some special exhibitions that children can enjoy to learn more about sea creatures, so make sure to get a hold of the list of exhibitions for the day so you won’t miss it!

Once you’re done exploring the aquarium and want to relax somewhere, head over to the park inside the area as well to rest or have a picnic.

Next up is the Sumida Aquarium, an aquarium located at the foot of the Tokyo Sky Tree. Get ready to see cool and adorable sea creatures like penguins, jellyfish, and sharks!

Inside the aquarium are many photogenic exhibition spaces as well that will definitely up your social media, and there are plenty of night-only programs, making it a perfect place for a date.

Once you’ve explored Sumida Aquarium to the fullest, feel free to drop by a nearby attraction, the Tokyo Sky Tree. You can see not only the beautiful cityscape of Tokyo but also Tokyo Bay and Mt. Fuji.

The Art Aquarium Museum is an ever-popular spot to see over 5,000 beautiful goldfish of 200 different species. The attraction specializes in being an art museum with goldfish in aquariums as the art! It’s a new and fresh way to see (literally) moving art or simply art with life.

Inside the museum are 15 areas, and the main exhibits are various goldfish, but there are also masks, lanterns, decorations that match the four seasons, and other exhibits that will make you appreciate Japanese art even more. If you haven’t been to an art aquarium museum, this is your ✨sign✨ to go for it!

Next on the list is Enoshima Aquarium, located in the Kanagawa Prefecture. Inside the aquarium are 14 exhibits that allow you to explore different parts of the ocean and many kinds of sea creatures. Get ready to see penguins, seals, jellyfish, sea turtles, otters, and even capybaras! 

In addition, the largest aquarium in the museum, Sagami Bay Large Tank, is a complete reproduction of the sea of ​​Sagami Bay, as the name suggests.

Before capping off your day at Enoshima Aquarium, drop by Beach Experience Hall, an exhibit that’s packed with fun crafts and endless learning about the seashore!

Tokyo Sea Life Park is an aquarium operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and really easy to access with JR trains. Inside the aquarium are sea creatures from all over the world like sea birds, auks, puffins, and penguins.

The aquarium is centered on the concept of the seas of Tokyo and the Ogasawara Islands, with 12 exhibits divided by regions like the Pacific Ocean, Indian Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. They have a vast variety of fishes for you to marvel at and learn about, such as the bluefin tuna, queen angelfish, eagle ray, and filefish.

Once you’re done exploring the aquarium, feel free to drop by Kasai Rinkai Park, located near Tokyo Sea Life Park. There’s no doubt that you can relax and refresh yourself in the open atmosphere of the park facing the sea!

Did you know that Hakone also has an aquarium? The Hakone-en Aquarium is located inside the Hakone-en leisure facility alongside other things you can enjoy like shopping, gourmet food, and more.

Inside the aquarium are three areas: the Baikal Sea Plaza, Freshwater Pavilion, and Seawater Pavilion. Be prepared to see over 30,000 sea creatures when you visit like Baikal seals from Lake Baikal in Russia and mysterious fishes from the Amazon River!

Once you’ve explored Hakone-en Aquarium to the fullest, drop by Hakone Shrine which is just nearby the aquarium.

Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in Japan. There are about 54 kinds of sharks inside the aquarium, as well as seals, dolphins, and penguins! Aqua World also houses sunfish, which is a rare find in aquariums.

Aside from the fishes, approximately 10,000 water jellyfish are displayed in the large jellyfish tank and it is said to be the largest in the Kanto region.