Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

I went on a Thursday afternoon but the ticket sales person mentioned that it's very crowded. However it only took me 15 minutes to line up for the tickets. The staffs are very quick and efficient. Price are affordable as well. Wonderful exhibitions. You could see how much research and care has been put into making and maintaining each exhibit. The whale sharks were pretty cool especially during feeding time. Most of the animals are quite active. They're very obedient during feeding times as well. After 5pm, they'll turn down the lights and you could see most of them will slowly drift off to sleep. Even the background music changed as well! The first souvenir shop that you'll reach has a different variety of goods from the 2nd shop so if you really want it, buy it first. Thank you for the wonderful experience!

Went in the late afternoon and it was raining. Short queue for ticket and given we have a pram (baby sleeping inside), we were not asked to park it once entered. Instead they assisted us with elevator use through secured access & staff only areas and in all possible ways allowed us to rejoin our family who took the escalator (on a few occasions). We are grateful for their patience and assistance. A few of the exhibitions (seals, penguins) span a few floors so don’t feel like you need to catch them all at one window: you walk around the big/main tank and will come back to the seals & penguins on the lower floors. There is a small cafe/eateries a 3 quarter in where we got super long sized hot dog and whale shark inspired soft serve. We also spent a bit of time at the gift shops. The kids (4,8,9 yo) all enjoyed themselves even though the youngest missed most of it including the whale sharks.

Best 4 hours spent! Wished we had more time to stay and observe. Went on a weekday, an afternoon, and we got the tickets on the spot. No need for advanced purchasing of tickets and no line at all. Check for specific feeding hours for your desired experience, we managed to see sea lion and penguin feeding. The giant tank right in the middle of the aquarium is the best to observe as they have seats around the area for you to stop and rest while looking at aquatic life.

A large array of sea creatures with big enclosures for them, which is great. Have accessible access with wheel chair spots to make it easier for them to see things. The whole thing is one big loop down, so it's easy to navigate. No amount of words would, of course, really describe this, got to be there to get the experience. A bonus, you ask? It's close to a shopping mall and the biggest Ferris wheel I've seen, so you can do a few things while there. We took one bus all the way there from close to Osaka station for the flat fee of 210 yen for adults and half that for children even though it was a 34-minute trip. It's worth a visit for adults and kids...

Visited on Wednesday at 1:00. Lineup to purchase tickets was about 30 minutes. I would recommend to purchase online in advance to avoid the line. Good variety of animals including dolphins, penguins, sea lions, and whale sharks. Visually appealing although it was quite one dimensional - most of the exhibits are behind standard glass displays. Quite crowded, as expected, and this strollers are not permitted so being a carrier for your kids. There are baby changing and nursing rooms. Plenty of seating throughout. Would like to see more food/drink options (there is one cafe that sells drinks and hot dogs). I didn’t notice any children specific activities although I may have missed them.

Staffs are friendly and quick lineup to the aquarium. However, often has a lot of people (including group tours from schools) so it is ideal to go during the earlier morning than late afternoon. Worth to spend a full day.

By far one of the best aquariums I have ever been to. Fully immersive and well done with tons of different sea animals and some land animals. The building feels new and modern, and the aquarium alone takes at least 90-120 minutes to complete. Well worth it and this was my second visit here. You should certainly buy tickets online beforehand to beat the crowds waiting at the ticket counter. If you go on a weekend, expect chaos. It's really busy at that time. Nice mall close by as well with some cool souvenirs and restaurants.

WOW. We loved it! It was busy outside, but once inside it was a different story. Several school were also in attendance, however the students were rarely if ever heard. Buy tickets in advance if you can, or be prepared to wait a while once you have bought them (entry is based on 'batches') The size of the tank is enourmous and deep. My highlight was the jellyfish exhibit. Seeing the dolphins being fed was also fun watching their antics. It is circular and deep, so you get to witness the schools of fish at varying depths. Well worth the trip!!! 🐟🐠🦈

My boyfriend and I were close to not even having Osaka Aquarium on our itinerary for our Japan trip! But, so glad that we decided to go. I purchased our tickets ahead of time on Klook for a certain date and time slot. I forgot how tall the aquarium is, but basically it's one giant tank, where you start from the very top and make your way down to the bottom of the tank. The tank is hugeeee because there is a whale shark! It was so cool. The aquarium was just so calming and beautiful. The whale shark was cool to see and all, but my absolute favorite area was the jellyfish. After you make it to the bottom, there is a cafe that serves hot dogs, drinks and soft serve. I got the soft serve swirl (ramune and vanilla). It had little sprinkles on it so it looks like the whale shark, super cute! I definitely recommend checking out the Osaka Aquarium!

Definitely a top tier aquarium and one of the best I've been to. I recommend riding the Tempozan Ferris wheel before or after your visit as it's a fun way to see the skyline as well! They had so many different categories of sea creatures here and the tanks for the whale shark and dolphins seemed big which is great. I loved the tunnel of fish you get to walk through when you first arrive. There were descriptions in English and Japanese for each animal. They even had an area that seemed to be divided based on the Finding Nemo movie! So cute.

I usually am conflicted when it comes to zoos and aquariums, but this was hard to pass up! I have never been in such amazement and awe at an aquarium quite like Osaka. The layout was so thoughtful and really loved having different floor levels to see all the animals from different view points! The stamps were so fun and cute to find and collect throughout the venue! The dolphins, seals, otters, and penguins were so active it was hard not to stand there for hours. Haha. Seeing multiple whale sharks was amazing!! The jellyfish rooms were abundant with various jellies. I was very impressed with this aquarium and would recommend for any sea lover!

Bucket list check! Got to see one of my favorite sea animals the whale shark. Ticket purchase in person, you'll wait about 35 minutes in line to get your ticket and they will give you your time slot (ours was about 45 min. after we purchased ticket. Lots of things to do while you wait for your time slot so not to bad. You can purchase combo packs (i.e., Santa Maria and another cruise with the aquarium). If you want to observe feedings, you must purchase at ticket booth. Easy to navigate with Google maps! This aquarium is very tall and goes top to bottom which is very interesting and allows you to view same ranks at different depth. Of course my favorite was seeing the whale sharks, I could've stayed there awhile. Being a very busy attraction, be patient trying to get good picture or videos. We spent about 2 hours at a leisure pace. I really enjoyed it, and for the price it's a win for me.

The Osaka Aquarium is a beautifully designed building with eight floors and home to over 29,000 animals. The aquarium is one of the largest in the world and has a tank that contains 5,400,000 liters, which, is equivalent to 1,427,000 US gallons. Once inside there is signage directing you on where to start as well as information on each individual animal enclosure. I'd definitely set aside at least two hours to really enjoy all the aquarium has to offer. In addition to the animals there are several exhibits and interactive activities for both children & adults to enjoy. Brochures in both Japanese & English are available and contain information that will assist in navigating through the building. Although, the information is useful, the layout of the aquarium is user-friendly, so you shouldn't need one. With that said, this is an extremely popular attraction for tourists and local school children, as I quickly learned when several school buses pulled up with hundreds of children. Although, this did delay my entry, it was nice to see so many young children interested in aquatics and marine life. My apologize for the all the chatter on the videos created by the children but it only added to my overall enjoyment & experience. Due to credit card fraud, they were not allowing any tickets to be purchased via the Internet. Tickets can be purchased on the day of arrival, however, getting in line early (prior to the box office opening), will benefit you greatly. I had a fabulous time at the aquarium and you will to.

One of the reasons I visited Osaka was because I wanted to see whale sharks. I didn't really know what to expect since I didn't do much research, but I truly enjoyed my time here. I recommend this aquarium to anyone fascinated with the ocean. ジンベイザメを見たいと思ったから、海遊館に行った。すごく楽しかったです。 I visited on a Thursday and tried to go during an off time, but unfortunately, it was still crowded. I'm guessing the best time to go would probably be when it first opens. 木曜日、海遊館に行った時間だったら、混んでいます。混まないかと思いました。開店の時、海遊館に行くほうがいいと思います。 After you buy your ticket, you go up the escalator. Then, the path of the aquarium is a downward, circular path where you're surrounded by different aquariums. There's seating along the pathway in case you get tired. エスクレーターに乗ってから、丸いで散歩しながら、周りに水槽が見られます。 You can walk through it as fast as 30 minutes or you can leisurely walk through and it can take over an hour. There's no time limit, so it's up to you on fast you go through. ３０分から一時間以上で海遊館を通じて、歩きことできます。時間制限がありません。 Overall: Although I thought it was a great experience, I think going once was enough for me. いい経験だと思うんですけど、一回だけ足ります。

The overall design and crowd control for the Osaka aquarium was great. The staff did an amazing job at crowd control and the floor plan of the aquarium made the experience really enjoyable. Everyone is ushered in one direction through each exhibit and people were really respectful with the amount of time spent in each area to allow others a chance to view the fishes and other ocean species. However, the number of ocean species and fishes were limited and I really wish there were more to see. There is one gigantic tank in the center of the aquarium that goes from the top floor all the way to the ground floor, each level you go to, you will pass by it and see the whale sharks. The aquarium is very clean, staffs are helpful and you can book your tickets online or on Klook. They allow entrance every 30 minutes to control the amount of people inside. It's a nice 10 minute walk from the train station, I advise to go early so you can then enjoy some time at the shopping center next door. There is a ton of restaurants and shopping to be done.

Pro: online booking, clean environment, friendly staff. Con: none. Before coming to Japan we were making a list of places to visit and we decided to visit this aquarium so we book some tickets online in advance. The ticket will tell you which group time can enter the building. Our tour started at the top and made our way down the building. You get to see animals from all over the world. As you explore, you can learn about the habitat and the animals. At the end of the tour you have a gift shop. There are also restaurants near by you can visit such as kuma Kafe which I highly recommend. All in all, I had a good time visiting this Aquarium and I would recommend anyone come visit if they are in the area.

When you are in Osaka, you should check out the aquarium! I booked tickets online about 3 weeks in advance. It was less than $40 USD for two adults. I heard shark feeding was around 10:30 AM. I booked it into the aquarium to try to find it. The layout of the aquarium, I quickly realized, was one-way. You take the escalator up and then make your way down around the tank in the middle. So you can see the fish on top and then the fish on bottom. Meanwhile there are exhibits featuring different parts of the world. My favorite was of course the penguins. I had no idea that penguins could screech so loudly until this visit. The low-pitch yelps almost sound like that of a seal. I got a coffee from the cafe inside the aquarium. The line was long :( I was reading that weekdays are less popular. However, I felt like there were too many people for a Wednesday. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was easier to get close to the windows to see the animals. There are two gift shops. I bought a bunch of stuff at the first one at the bottom of the escalator. And then I realized there was more merchandise at the second by the exit.

Honestly not impressed by this aquarium. The layout is terrible. It was extremely busy on a Saturday so there's timed entry for the admission when you purchase tickets. You start from the top level and make your winding way down dark paths. I understand the darkness is to make the beautiful sea creatures in tanks stand out but the lighting even inside the tank is horrible and monotonous. Because of the singular path spiral like layout, the crowd gets congested and it's hard to enjoy the views when the path is dim and there's seemingly a million faces around you. The whale sharks may be the only draw but they showcase these majestic creatures waaaaaay better at the Okinawa aquarium. We typically love aquariums but Kaiyukan was a disappointing one. We were done with the aquarium in under 30 minutes because we couldn't stand the human traffic jam in a dark spiral.

I loved the: Whale Shark Float (Ramune Flavor) Melon Float Super tasty floats to support the aquarium! Realistically it's a vanilla float but after walking this huge aquarium and getting a backstage tour, this was so refreshing. It's also nice to look out at the Osaka Bay and sit for a bit #goodeats

Best aquarium I've been to. When you enter, you ascended to the top via escalators and you proceed to walk down and admire the massive collection of sealife in its tanks. I do appreciate there are ample seating available while you walk down. BTW, it is next to a shopping mall and a Family Mart so eats and retail are plenty. There's a coin laundry on the way from the metro station to the aquarium if you need to do a load or two while you spend time at the aquarium. There is also an interesting shooting gallery where if you shoot down a snack in the gallery, you get it! It was 1000 Yen but it was plenty of fun and the staff was helpful!

We heard great things about Osaka Aquarium, so we knew we had to make time to visit when in Osaka. It was truly beautifully constructed, in a way where you can see different angles of the huge aquarium (its a huge spiral). Highly recommend coming at its earliest time, as it will get packed! We got unlucky as it appeared to be a school day, hence tons of students (both toddler size and teenage) packed the aquarium (on top of the foreign visitors!). Overall Kel rating: 5/5 The good: Beautiful Aquarium The decent: Leave about 2 hours for a comfortable visit to view all types of aqua life. The ugly: Can be very very packed..

This aquarium is heartbreaking. The first red flag should be that they have whale sharks. Animals as big and beautiful as whale sharks do not belong in enclosures. For being the "biggest aquarium in the world," it's rather small and is just a circle/different angles of the same enclosures. I was blindsided when I saw pacific white sided dolphins in a tank. After watching The Cove, I was left wondering if these poor dolphins came from Taiji. It was rather disturbing that The Cove wasn't addressed at all at this aquarium. Basically, all their mammals on display were squished into tiny enclosures, had sterile living environments, and had no enrichment. Save your money, and avoid supporting this aquarium. Please support aquariums that rehabilitate and release animals, take part in ocean conservation, and truly care about animal welfare.

Quick Summary: If you're a fan of aquariums (and my family definitely is) this is an amazing one to visit. The main tank offers a rare opportunity to see live whale sharks and there are a ton of other rare animals that you can see, like sun fish and Japanese Spider Crabs! There are soo many different things that our kids would just happily run from exhibit to exhibit. Recommendations: get the stamp book at the beginning, the kids love going to the different stations. There are tons of opportunities to see the whale sharks, so don't get caught up at the first viewing window like everyone else. Stop at the Ring of Fire (ROF) Cafe and enjoy the ramune and vanilla swirl ice cream! If you're looking for an escape from the staggering heat and humidity of Japanese summers, this is a great place to seek refuge. The aquarium is an overall impressive size with a large variety of animals, from marine mammals to small tropical fish, and of course the rare whale sharks, sun fish, and huge spider crabs! The seals and sea lions are surprisingly interactive and will come up to the class and check you out. During feeding times the sea lions will also do some basic tricks, not quite Sea World level of production but you're much closer to them from behind the aquarium glass. It's quite impressive how close you get to see the animals. The aquarium flows from top to bottom, with over 8 floors of exhibits. You also have an opportunity (at added fee) to see the main tank from behind the scenes/above. It's pretty cool to see the size and all the animals from above and get some dedicated narration away from the crowds (not sure if they spoke english). The little Ring of Fire cafe is a nice midway break, and offers view of the bay and cute snacks borrowing themes from the animals themselves. The ramune and vanilla ice cream swirl is a MUST! The exhibits themselves can get a bit crowded but with some patience you can get up front and snatch your own great view. The little ones had no issues squeezing up front. A few drawbacks - not really designed for strollers. They allow them but you'll have to find a proctor to help you move between some floors to the elevator system. It's not for every floor but a few of them. And there was a distinct lack of bathrooms until close to the end, and even then there was a limited number of stalls. And the bathrooms were lacking baby changing tables. Overall though it was a great experience. The kids and adults had a great time and it was a short walk over to the mall across the way for food and more fun!

This aquarium was phenomenal. Have not brought our son since he was practically 5 or 6 years old. Doesn't matter what age you are, it always amazes me when you go to a place that brings you peace and comfort . Purchased e ticket in advance online. Everyone in Japan, they are precise on time. At the top of the hour! It took two trains to get us there and since it's by the water front, it was below 30. It was cold wind and just cold in general. They have LEGO discovery, a ferry that goes around the port, shopping area and the giant Ferris wheel. They wouldn't let us in until it was 10:30. Spent whole hour inside their souvenir store. lol. All worth it when we went inside. Only thing was the big reef was closed for construction. Love seeing all the fishes, sharks, sea lions and penguins. We even ate at their cafe. We had fun. Took lots of photos, even Santa was in the tank and they had staff cleaning the rocks. Don't get that in our country. Ha!

Down in Osaka? Visit Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan! The way this aquarium is certainly setup much differently than many other ones you maybe have visited. One of the interesting layout differences is that you start from the top of the building, and then slowly make your way down to the bottom of the aquarium, while circling one of the biggest singular tanks you will probably see. As you're ming way down, there are going to be lots of aide attractions as well, with things like otters, seals, penguins, or some smaller fish that doesn't belong in the larger central tank. The central tank is definitely the main attraction though with so many schools of fish, large whale sharks, schools of sharks, stingrays, and many other large fishes.

I forgot how awesome this place was! I came back here 14 years later and was just as amazed at how well this aquarium flowed. Unlike some other aquariums I'd been to (*cough* Toronto *cough*) where there were screaming kids running in every direction, the Kaiyukan had a natural flow that kept the screaming kids running straight ahead. All jokes aside, the sheer number of angles to view the dolphins, whale sharks, seals and sea lions were just incredible. Couldn't get enough of how massive the tanks were and how well designed this entire place was. Definitely the best aquarium I've ever been to.

It's a little bit out of your way but highly recommend for a chill day and if you have free time in Osaka. It doesn't have many exhibits but the large tank is worth going to see. I just sat there for at least a good hour watching the WHALE SHARKS and turtles. Compared to Monterey, this aquarium makes you feel a lot closer to the sea animals and you get some nice shots of the otters and seals that is hard at other aquariums.

!!English Review!! This is the best and most intriguing Aquarium I've ever been to. To start off, I'm not a fan of going to aquariums in the first place. Fish and seafood aren't my thing. But this aquarium has all sorts of creatures from furry to slimy. Of course the biggest show are the whale sharks! There were also otters, but they were asleep due to us coming right after feeding (booo). The price is approx. $33 USD (4700yen) per adult at the time of writing. It's 100% worth it as it took us 1-2 hours to get through the whole thing and many beautiful pictures/videos. A must go for a visit in Japan if you're into attractions! There's hotels nearby across the water that have a boat that comes around every 30minutes to take you there. It's a small town across those waters and they have a takoyaki stand somewhere. An authentic local feel.

It comes to no surprise to me that I wasn't completely in love with an aquarium. Albeit, this was an enormous one and very interesting one at that! I'm pretty sure there just won't be an aquarium that I will have to visit again, or that I would award a 5 star review for... There were lots of levels, 5 or 6, it was a bit hard to tell. The tour didn't start at the bottom, I think we entered somewhere in the middle. Then went to the top and worked our way down? Gosh, it's unclear. What I do remember was that Whale Shark, made a mess in the tank LOL. Probably one of the few to actually witness that! Wish we hadn't, but there's no unseeing that one. Pretty much the entire aquarium is surrounding this huge tank with the whale sharks and other fishes with them. On the walls of the building there's much more to see. Other tanks with many aquatic creatures. Seals, otters, dolphins, penguins and different fishes. Ya, see, I obviously was uninterested.......... Somewhere toward the bottom level there was a cafe. Small entrance and queue but seating area was alright. The view was gorgeous! Made me regret not purchasing the Osaka Amazing Pass. You could see the boat and ferry outside. Looked like a lovely way to spend the day. But I chose USJ and no regerts lol. Going back to the cafe... my son got an ice cream, interesting flavor. The prices are decent and the treats are cute. The employees work as fast as they can but the demand is pretty high, so the lines are quite long. Toward the exit/entrance there is a gift shop and a Starbucks. As far as I could see there were stuffed animals, probably figurines, some gachapon and a medallion machine. I really didn't want to lug anything around since we had another half of the day to get on with so we didn't even browse at all. Definitely don't let my review ruin it for you. If you haven't gone, and you're in the area, go check it out! It wasn't really cheap, but for what it was, they're good for it! I'm pretty sure even if I visit Osaka again, I can skip this.

The Osaka Aquarium was one of the top places I wanted to check out while traveling, and I'm so glad I did! The aquarium is multistory with each level dedicated to different parts of the world and the animals found in those areas. My favorite and probably the most epic were the stingrays, sharks, and whale sharks! I definitely spent a good chunk of my time watching the beautiful animals swim with one another. I also enjoyed the seals and dolphins. Honestly, all of the exhibits were pretty cool! The fiancé and I went on a weekday evening, which I recommend if you want to beat the crowds. At times it was still difficult to get around, but I imagine it was much better than going in the morning or afternoon. However, going later in the day means missing out on the feeding times, and the aquarium does start to get darker. Regardless of this, I had an awesome time. There were many educational bits throughout the aquarium, which I greatly appreciated, along with some eateries and shops with cute souvenirs! PS: The Osaka Aquarium is one of the largest public aquariums in the world!

The layout of aquarium is really cool. There's basically one GIANT tank and several smaller ones around it. Then they built the floors/building around them. So you start from the eighth floor and can walk down in a spiral and see different levels of the aquarium. Super cool. OTHER I saw a sign for a cafe in there. They also have have a small gift shop.

I love aquariums, but I'm not obsessed with them. Somehow, though, I ended up visiting 3 in my 3 weeks in Japan. Kaiyukan was the last...and absolutely the biggest! Biggest in Japan, and one of the biggest in the world! They've got building sized tanks! They've got giant flowy manta rays! They have whale sharks!!! As with many things in Japan, Kaiyukan is optimized for a very convenient experience. It's a streamlined experience with one-way layouts and long escalators. You can spend a few hours making your way through the small aquatic tanks, open-air sea mammal areas, BIG ASS COLUMNS OF WATER, beautiful night exhibits, cold rooms housing Arctic creatures, and your occasional cafeteria...You want it, you got it in this aquarium. While most aquariums have a similar selection of animals to see, Kaiyukan offers a couple of unique experiences. Their claim to fame is the massive whale shark. You can't miss it unless your eyes are closed. They even have cute whale shark shaped snacks (and a Ramune sea-grey soft serve!) My favourite were the super chill seals that are lounging and bobbing around in the water. Cutest little sea dogs ever. Being such a large tourist attraction, the space around the aquarium is also optimized, and you can continue your adventures in the nearby food theme park, ferris wheel, or cruises and ferries. If your time is limited, for example, it's your last day in Osaka, it's a great half-day activity before an evening flight. With direct shuttle service to Kansai Airport and storage lockers, even your experience outside the aquarium is streamlined! Oh how I love you, Japan! (24/100) - 2019

I'm not a big fan of aquariums in general. The reason why we went here was because it was going to be a cloudy day and my hubs wanted to bring our toddler here. It's not stroller friendly. You can bring it but there are some portions of the place where you're going to have to bring it down the stairs. We should've parked our stroller, put our toddler in his carrier because that would've been easier for everyone. It starts all the way to the top and you work your way down to the different exhibits. The main attraction is the large enclosure where they house a whale shark. Honestly, there's no big enough enclosure for these massive things... oh wait, that's called an ocean where they belong. My toddler enjoyed looking at the fishes. We were only here for a couple of hours and that was enough.

As we were planning our itinerary for Japan, the question came to mind: is it worth going to the aquarium in Osaka when there's other aquariums that I've been to before? If you love aquariums like I do, then YES! The layout of the aquarium and the route is very organized since you'll be starting at the top and work your way towards the bottom of the building as you go down stairs and ramps. Just note, there is a certain stop in the middle of the aquarium where you'll go down the escalator to see more of the exhibits (just make sure you explore everything you need/want on the upper floors before you go down, because you can't go back up). I highly recommend attending their scheduled feedings: the ringed seal (Yuki, the chubby ringed seal!), dolphin, and river otter. The ringed seal was my favorite! It's pretty chilly down there, so make sure you bring a jacket to join in on the fun. At the bottom floor, there's an interactive area where you can touch some friendly sharks and stingrays, make sure you wash your hands prior and after. Price for admission is pretty reasonable. We came on a weekday so there were a few groups of students on field trips there. I highly recommend coming earlier so you have more time there to explore.

The Osaka Aquarium was ranked highly as one of the places to visit when in the area. It was very easy to reach via train and minimal walking. The aquarium is a multistory building where we started from the top most one and work our way down. Each floor had its own exhibitions of different sea creatures. My favorite was definitely the ginormous tank with two whale sharks and giant stingrays. We also made it in time to see the feeding and it was quite majestic to witness. I really liked this aquarium and it's layout compared to the other ones I've visited around the world. It's very clean with clear signs from start to finish. Towards the end of our trip, I bought a couple of super cute souvenir magnets and even got to taste the specialty ramune flavored soft serve. It's definitely an acquired taste because I ended up liking it more after a few bites. The ramune flavor tasted funky at first. There were also some mini crunchy ball-like garnish on the soft serve. I think it's supposed to emanate pearls in the ocean. Overall, I really liked the aquarium and thought it was a great way to spend 2 hours of our time. My only complaint is that we got trapped with a ton of school kids on field trip, so it was a little loud and hectic.

Most impressive looking facade of an aquarium I've seen. Inside it's got 8 floors; you start at the top, and it's created so you don't miss anything as you go down. Each section is separated into locations around the world the creatures are inhabited. There's a lot to see, but I was a bit disappointed I didn't see any sea horses and the jelly fishes they had weren't as unique as ones I've seen at other aquariums. Overall a good place to spend time. An aquarium pass is available that covers transportation, which is a pretty good deal. Also, if anybody collects eki stamps, they have stamps available for all the sections.

This has to be the best Aquarium experience of my life! The layout of the whole thing was so thoughtful and you can spend the whole day here without feeling bored! You might feel the need to take a pic at every window; however, the way the aquarium was built, you won't miss a single thing because the layout of the building wraps around the major exhibit, so you're literally walking down a spiral. You will have a chance to take your perfect pic at every corner, so definitely don't feel pressured or feel the need to fight to get to the front of the window. Definitely check this place out if you're going to Osaka!

The best aquarium I've ever been to. The way they built this place was very smart, you take an escalator to the top of the building and begin to walk down to look at the various fish they have. It was like an IKEA with tons of water and fish. There were a lot of cool animals and due to how this place was engineered you are able to see close ups of all these animals from different angles. If you are in Osaka you should stop in, you won't be disappointed. It's not a full day activity, but there's also a LegoLand discovery zone across the way and a Universal studios across the water. So you can stay busy.

The Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium! We came here after the Osaka Castle and lunch in the shopping center next door. Tip: If it works for you, make sure you get the Osaka Kaiyu Ticket! We got ours at the Shin-Osaka station, but make sure you get it from the Osaka subway and their respective stations (there are other ways to get it, but after going up to the JR Shinkasen and having them guide us down here, and then going back up..) (http://www.kaiyukan.com/language/eng/kaiyu.html) The Kaiyu ticket will pay for admission at the aquarium and serves as a pass for the Osaka Municipal Subway, New Tram, and buses for the day~ It's only a couple hundred yen more expensive so worth it if it works for ya~ After taking a picture of the outside and seeing the ferris wheel and the beautiful whale they have in the front, we headed inside to the beginning. They say that first impressions are important - and indeed this was the case! They have a half-circular tank which you go under and you have fishies surrounding you. Good pictures incoming. You then take an escalator to the highest (7th?) floor where you begin... where their fault is, in which they have their flow in one direction so that if there are a lot of people, it'll kinda back up. Whoops :/ After going to the outdoor lake area on the highest floor, after that, you won't see light for the most part. You will see their HUGE tank on 3-4 different levels and I was impressed at how big it was and how many different sea creatures in it. The Pacific tank :P You'll see a lot more sea life (and penguins) from all over the world and it will take you a while to get through the entire thing. Maybe three hours if you're gonna stop and enjoy yourself. There's also a section/cafe in the middle of the walk through and near the end you get to touch some of the sea animals! Make sure you wash your hands - no soap! After that you make your way down to the gift shop, and if you're not a fan of that, after the gift shop you have another whole section of gifts and Starbucks there as well. Beautiful place, great views. Might be a lot of people (and school children...). Close to Universal Studios Japan as well (there's a boat that takes you there) but I don't think having these two on the same day would work :/

During my four day stay in Osaka, this was one of the places that was a must on our list of places to go to. There was a line when we got there to get in but it went by quick. The lady at the counter had informed us that there was a lot of groups coming in that day because it was children's day (we didn't know). Once we got in there was tons of kids but that didn't really bother us. The aquarium had tons of things to see. I finally got to see a whale shark in real life. There was a lot of seating near the large tank with the whale shark inside. One thing that you must do while there is get the ramune ice cream. It's a nice little treat that's about halfway through the aquarium. At the end there is a gift shop and also another shop once you go down the escalator. We got a couple of chopsticks and magnets as souvenirs.

They said it was one of the largest displays of tuna in any aquarium in the world. I'd believe it. The way it's design is that there is a central fish tank that is huge and you go to the top and walk around in a downward spiral around the tank. My toddlers had a lot of fun however it kinda because boring when you see fish for hours. Still my favorite is Monterrey Bay and Long Beach aquarium.

While in Osaka on a rainy day...what do you do? We asked locals and everyone recommend the aquarium. Before coming here we bought our tickets on Klook to save a few yen. The app allows you to just show a mobile ticket upon entry which can save time on busy days. Also upon entry, you can store your bags in lockers which was nice not lug stuff around except myself and my phone for picture taking. The aquarium was very packed in the beginning sections on the day we went. It made me regret coming here since I hate crowds. However, once you get past the first part it starts to clear out. Overall, this aquarium was just okay. I have been to way better ones within my travels and it doesn't rank in my top 10. Sorry, not sorry.

Of course, I didn't need to come all the way to Japan to see a whale shark, but since I was staying in Osaka, why not? I came here with my daughter on a Wednesday morning, right around the time it opened (I think it was 10:00a when we came at the end of March). After getting off the train at Osaka-Minato station, we walked through a long walkway just to exit from the number one exit. Once we got out, we just kept going straight towards the harbor. Basically, we just followed the group of kids, lol. The ginormous ferris wheel came into view, which is part of the Tempozan Marketplace right next to the aquarium. Admission was 2300yen for adults (16+), 1200yen for elementary/junior high school kids, 600yen for little kids (4+), and 2000yen for seniors (60+). The aquarium is basically a huge, tall cylindrical tank situated in the center of 8 floors, with additional exhibits on each floor (some of the exhibits/tanks were also big enough to be seen on multiple floors). We initially went through an underwater tunnel and then onto an escalator that went up up and away to the top floor (we descended around the whale shark tank). the highlight was of course, seeing the 3 whale sharks gliding across the tank. As we descended on each floor, I took multiple pictures from every angle possible. They were not as big (as I know they can grow up to 40 feet or more in length), but they were beautiful and mesmerizing at the same time. I also like sunfish, so was excited to see them in the seasonal exhibit along with squids. I was surprised to see capybaras and ring-tailed coatis at an aquarium though. Just like at any other attraction, the souvenir shops and cafeterias were not cheap, but they did have a lot of cute stuff...we were in Japan after all. My daughter got the whale shark soft serve (400yen) at Cafe Mermaid on the 4th floor, which was vanilla (white) and ramune (blue) flavors swirled together with white pearly sprinkles to resemble the whale shark. I couldn't say no to that, lol. This is known to be one of the world's largest aquarium, but it didn't feel that big to me (maybe it was when it opened back in 1990?). Regardless, it's still a nice and intriguing place to come. We came at a time when it wasn't as crowded, but their website says weekdays are the best time to come except for weekday mornings in mid February to beginning of March, mid April to end of May, and October through November, due to school field trips. Also, try to avoid Japanese holidays such as Golden Week (usually end of April through beginning of May) and Obon season (usually mid July and/or mid August).

As far as aquariums go, it's a nice aquarium. Largish, with multiple floors, numerous displays (including a touch tank) and a good variety of sea creatures. The stars of the show are definitely the otter, whale sharks and penguins. Nice layout - you take the elevator to the top floor, then spiral your way down through the displays. So why only 3 stars? Because the place was teaming with loud, screaming, running, pushing and shoving school kids on excursions - more than 100 of them! The few adults that were with them (I noted a 20:1 student to adult ratio) made absolutely no attempt to stop them. The sea of out of control kids made it impossible to walk two steps without being pushed or bumped into, as well as impossible to hear the person next to you, much less enjoy the aquarium display. It was horrible. Our 7 year old twins were so overwhelmed by the chaos and noise they created that they wanted to leave immediately - and we did too. Other places we visited (Kids Plaza Osaka, Big Bang, etc.) warns visitors that school kids will be there in the mornings, making it loud and crowded, and suggest visiting after 2pm-ish for a quieter, more peaceful and pleasant experience. The Osaka Aquarium would be wise to follow suit. Fortunately, a couple things helped prevent our visit from being absolutely miserable - Drink Stand Aqua and Starbucks on the bottom floor, after the exit (to console the kids with ice cream and the adults with scones), as well as the Tempozan giant ferris wheel (for a nice thrill and scenic view of Osaka).

We got discounted tickets from our hotel (2000 instead of 2300 yen). We came on a weekday morning about 45 minutes after opening, and it was already quite crowded with families, but we were still able to get a good view of most of the exhibits. I like that it was so easy to navigate; you take an escalator to the top and spiral down. Feeding times are clearly posted, and we enjoyed watching the otters and dolphins being fed. Unfortunately, the presenters spoke solely in Japanese, so we couldn't understand any of it. Some of the exhibits spanned multiple levels, so it was really neat to see what was going on in the exhibits from different angles. I liked the gigantic aquarium with whale sharks, rays, hammerhead sharks, and more. Certain creatures tended to hang out towards certain areas, so as we walked down the levels, we got to focus on different animals. The whale sharks were big and slow and cool :) There were some cute souvenirs in the gift shop, and I took home some stickers and a notebook for friends. After we left, we went to the giant ferris wheel which is just steps away, and it was overall a very nice way to spend about 3 hours.

Others that have went here from Yelp and Google hyped this place up. I love love love aquariums and knowing that this is one of the world's "largest" is definitely something I didn't want to miss out on. It was super easy to enter with a Kaiyu Ticket because you didn't need to go on the ticket line. I just walked straight to the entrance and my Kaiyu Ticket was scanned. There were a couple if very unique fishes but the entire route of the exhibitions were extremely tiny. I don't know what is considered to be the "largest" aquarium but other countries I've been to is extremely big compared to here. Also, I went on a Sunday and it was extremely crowded with lots of other tourists. There was absolutely no order in this place and so hard to get through. Staff didn't seem to help. Gauchapon aka the little toy twisting machines were terrible. It broke on me and I had to call the staff so many times. There is a Starbucks inside here too. They don't allow you to order a larger size on certain drinks and that is super annoying! You have been warned!

A great aquarium to visit. Beautiful exhibits including the tunnel shown in the pics.

First time visiting Osaka and we decided to visit the aquarium while we were here. We were able to see a whale shark! Which we don't get to see back in Orange County. Moderate size aquarium and a nice place to pass time. It probably is a one stop type of location. I don't see myself returning unless we were going with a group who wanted to see it.

I learned one of Darcie's favorite things is an aquarium. When I asked her if that's why she chose the Waikiki Aquarium for our wedding reception she dully replied No. She says this is so far her most favorite aquarium. After posting on Instagram, one of her friends says the aquarium in Okinawa has three (!) whale sharks in their tank. The layout is huge and very friendly. The cost is reasonable and it's really easy to find. Don't forget to visit the Tempozan mall and ride the giant Ferris wheel.

This is one of the best aquarium I ever visited. The facility and the service are top notch, not to mention the ocean life forms being exhibited here. During my visit, our party had an adult who needed wheelchair. The staff made sure that our group didn't have any less of experience than others. Elevators and special entrances were provided and guides by staff members. Other than that my second most memorable experience was when they feed the fish in the main tank. I had a chance to see hundreds of different kind of fish. Food court and shops are located in a different building. The food court offered variety of foods from Japanese to American style fast food. The prices were not exorbitant either. The door fees were reasonable considering what they offered. I couldn't recall the exact prices but I did pay for a group of 10-12 people and it didn't break my bank. Until I visit a better aquarium. Osaka aquarium will be the best one I visit.

A must go if you're in the area! The layout of the aquarium is exquisite and you get to see different angles and different layers of the ocean floor. There is one giant main tank with sharks and stingrays-- dont get caught up in your first view of this tank, as you go further into the aquarium, you'll see the same tank from different angles. The first area is where everyone is so the crowd is too much as well. That being said, there is a lot of people even when I went on a weekday, but it is so worth!

TLDR; one of the world's largest aquarium and there's even whale sharks and manta rays! This aquarium has been on my bucket list for so long just because they have whale sharks and manta rays. So to finally be able to check it off, I was super excited. Not going to spoil much but I will say I felt kind of let down. It was really great seeing everything though but I think I went in with too high of an expectation. At least all the information placards had English so you could learn a little about everything. The one thing that caught me by surprise was seeing exhibits with sunfish and squid, which I've never seen in an aquarium before. Overall, I'd recommend it to all travelers! Come early though so it doesn't get packed inside. There's also a couple of photo spots and the workers are nice enough to take one picture for you on your own camera/phone before they take an official one to try to sell to you.

It's all about seeing the Whale Sharks. So amazing being able to observe such a large creature just behind a thick sheet of glass. I would say... On Par with Monterrey Bay Aquarium, but with different specifies of fish.

I think the Kaiyukan, or Aquarium, is probably the best aquarium that I have ever been to. The moment you enter, there is a route line that will take you to an escalator that takes you to the very top of the aquarium - the 8th floor. You then start the route and go in a slight incline as you go in down each floor in a circular fashion. I think this because you can't miss anything - you literally see every exhibit and if you don't like it, you just move on. You don't have to walk around in circles trying to find a certain exhibit (I'm looking at you Baltimore Aquarium). It's all clear and concise so that you make the most of your time there. There are a lot of animals and the feedings are pretty frequent - I managed to see an otter feeding, a capybara feeding, and sea lion feeding. There is also a touch area where you can touch rays and horseshoe crabs, which I thought was pretty neat. It's a bit pricey, but we really thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Kaiyukan. Highly recommended!

I can't believe I've gone three times (every time I've visited Osaka), but that shows how wonderful it is to visit. Also, my husband and mom really wanted to go on our third visit, so we decided this would be a nice place to explore for a few hours. I agree with other reviewers that it's rather close to the train and involves minimal walking (for Japan!). I also appreciated the other reviewers who suggested to get the pass that includes subway fares for the day (about 2500 yen?) - wished we scheduled more to see during the day in other parts of Osaka so we could make good use of our pass, but it's hard to travel places with a baby and toddler! I should've followed the advice of others who noted that weekends are crowded - ughhhh yes, the Sunday was particularly crowded, and we had a hard time seeing a lot of the animals in the tanks. Definitely should've tried to go on a weekday. Also, if you don't check the stroller you'll need to go up the escalator and down stairs several times. Pretty early on during our visit, I regretted not storing it for free.

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed the aquarium. I've never seen such lively animals in an aquarium. We were both surprised and very amazed. The animals here seem so happy and active. There weren't any animals that were just laying around... the otters, seals, fish, dolphins, etc. Everything was swimming around playing or eating. They have one huge tank that was pretty impressive. It was full of stingrays, sharks, and other large fish. Some of the fish were SO big. I like that the walkway wrapped around the tank as you walk down. I don't feel like there was the most variety of animals I've seen at an aquarium, but it was a very good experience and I would recommend going if you're in Osaka. We went in the afternoon on a Monday and it wasn't too crowded. We got through the aquarium in about two hours, if I remember correctly.

This is my favorite aquarium in Japan, and probably one of the best anywhere. They feature many animals from around Japan, including sunfish, giant spider crabs, and whale sharks. These displays are the most impressive. The layout of the aquarium is smart, where you start off at the top of the building and walk down a gently sloping ramp. We took my Dad in a wheelchair and it was easy for us to navigate and see all the exhibits. We also enjoyed the penguin and seal exhibits. The warning signs by the penguin exhibit is funny because they include cartoons that can be understood by anyone, even if you don't read Japanese, such as cartoons telling you not to bonk the penguins on the head with your umbrella. Lol. The shark tank is also cool, because you can touch ( i wouldn't really call it petting) the sharks and feel their leathery, scaly skin. I wish we could visit this place a lot more often!