Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is one of Okinawa’s most popular attractions, home to more than 20,000 marine animals representing around 700 species. Located within Ocean Expo Park on the Motobu Peninsula in northern Okinawa, the aquarium introduces visitors to the rich marine environment surrounding the Ryukyu Islands under the concept of “A Journey into the Okinawan Sea.”
The exhibits take visitors through several distinct marine environments, from the shallow waters around coral reefs to the open ocean of the Kuroshio Current and the mysterious deep sea. The experience offers an impressive introduction to the extraordinary diversity of marine life found around Okinawa.
The highlight of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is the enormous Kuroshio Sea tank, one of the largest aquarium tanks in the world. The tank contains approximately 7,500 tons of seawater and extends across two floors of the aquarium, measuring 35 meters long, 27 meters wide, and 10 meters deep.
Through the huge viewing panel, visitors can watch whale sharks, manta rays, sharks, rays, and countless other pelagic fish moving through the water. The immense scale of the tank creates the feeling of standing directly on the ocean floor, surrounded by the mysterious world of the Kuroshio Current.
One of the aquarium’s most famous residents is the whale shark, the world’s largest fish. A whale shark measuring approximately 8.6 meters in length can be seen swimming through the Kuroshio Sea tank, together with giant manta rays.
Whale sharks are particularly fascinating during feeding time. When feeding, they can position their enormous bodies almost vertically with their mouths facing toward the surface. The Kuroshio Sea tank was therefore designed with a depth of 10 meters so that the whale shark’s tail would not scrape along the bottom.
The Kuroshio Sea tank is also notable for its enormous acrylic viewing panel, which measures approximately 8.2 meters high, 22.5 meters wide, and 60 centimeters thick, with a total weight of about 135 tons.
The panel was once recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest acrylic panel. Its record was later surpassed by the Dubai Aquarium in 2008, but the immense viewing window at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium remains one of the most impressive features of the facility.
The Coral Sea exhibit recreates the shallow, sunlit waters surrounding Okinawa. Natural sunlight pours into the open-top tank, illuminating large coral colonies and brilliantly colored tropical fish.
This exhibit provides a vivid contrast to the deep blue world of the Kuroshio Sea and allows visitors to appreciate the extraordinary biodiversity of Okinawa’s coral reef ecosystems.
At the Shark Research Laboratory, visitors can learn about the biology, behavior, and diversity of sharks. The adjacent Dangerous Sharks exhibit features species that can also be found in waters around Okinawa, including the bull shark and tiger shark.
The exhibits offer an opportunity to learn about these often-misunderstood animals while gaining a deeper understanding of their important role in marine ecosystems.
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is part of Ocean Expo Park, a large national park complex with several additional marine attractions. These include Okichan Theatre, the Dolphin Lagoon, the Manatee Pavilion, and the Sea Turtle Pavilion.
Okichan Theatre and the Dolphin Lagoon are free to visit. Visitors can observe dolphins including bottlenose dolphins, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, false killer whales, rough-toothed dolphins, and Pacific white-sided dolphins, as well as enjoy scheduled dolphin performances.
The aquarium is also known for the story of Fuji, a bottlenose dolphin that lost its tail fin. Fuji became famous after returning to performances with the help of an artificial tail fin.
Her remarkable story inspired the book Mo Ichido Sora e and the film Dolphin Blue: Fuji, Mou Ichido Sora e, bringing the story of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium and its marine animals to a wider audience.
The aquarium contains 77 exhibition tanks and introduces marine environments ranging from Okinawa’s shallow reef flats, known locally as inoo, to coral reefs, the Kuroshio Current, and the deep sea.
The word “Churaumi” comes from the Okinawan language and means a “beautiful” or “pure” sea. The name perfectly reflects the aquarium’s mission to showcase the extraordinary beauty of the waters surrounding Okinawa.
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium serves not only as a tourist attraction but also as an important center for marine research and conservation. Its activities have contributed to the discovery and identification of previously unknown marine organisms.
Examples include the discovery of new species such as Shimatsunokoshioriebi and a new genus and species of deep-sea coral crab. An anemone collected off Ishigaki Island in 2004 using a small submersible was later identified as a new species and named Churaumikawarigincha, with the discovery announced in 2019.
The aquarium traces its origins to the Marine Life Pavilion of the Okinawa International Ocean Expo, held in 1975 as part of events commemorating Okinawa’s reversion to Japan.
The original aquarium opened in 1979 as the Okinawa Ocean Expo Memorial Park Aquarium. As the facility aged and visitor numbers declined, a completely redesigned aquarium opened in 2002, becoming the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium known today.
The aquarium continues to expand its research and educational activities. In 2023, the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, which operates Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, entered into a partnership agreement with a shark museum, promoting exchanges in research and exhibitions related to sharks and marine life.
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is located in Ocean Expo Park on the Motobu Peninsula in northern Okinawa. From Naha Airport, the aquarium can be reached by car via the Okinawa Expressway in approximately two hours, depending on traffic conditions.
Highway buses and express buses also operate between Naha and the northern part of Okinawa, providing an alternative for visitors traveling without a rental car.
With its enormous Kuroshio Sea tank, majestic whale sharks and manta rays, colorful coral reefs, fascinating sharks, playful dolphins, and deep-sea exhibits, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium offers an unforgettable journey into the marine world of Okinawa.
Its appeal extends beyond sightseeing. Through research, education, and conservation activities, the aquarium also plays an important role in understanding and protecting the region’s marine environment. For anyone exploring northern Okinawa, a visit here is an excellent way to experience the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the seas surrounding the islands.
8:30-18:30
No holidays
Adults 2,180 yen
Junior high school students: 1,440 yen
Child (elementary/junior high school student) 710 yen
Free for children under 6 years old
Free, approximately 1,900 spaces
By car
About 2 hours from Naha Airport via Okinawa Expressway
By highway bus
About 2 hours from Naha Airport