Kyoto (京都) Aquarium is a fantastic place to spend your afternoon at. It is located just about one kilometer west of Kyoto Station (京都駅), so you could even walk to it from there.
The aquarium is quite modernly designed and is still very young being opened in March 2012 in Umekoji (梅小路) Park.
It is not as big as other famous aquariums such as the one in Osaka (大阪). However, Kyoto Aquarium houses many unique types of fish and sea creatures, even penguins! The two-stories building has a zone that you can only find here, where the scenic environment of the rivers in Kyoto is recreated.
You can also see the Japanese giant salamander around here.
Outside, there is a dolphin stadium which is famous for many bigger aquariums. There are multiple shows every day.
Visiting Kyoto Aquarium
Including the aforementioned Kyoto river replica, there are 12 of these differently themed areas. Each of them is dedicated to a species of aquatic creatures or a natural environment.
I highly recommend coming here, especially if you’re travelling with your family. Spending the day at Kyoto Aquarium and then taking a stroll through Umekoji Park is a very relaxing and fun activity.
You will find many likeminded people here, as this place is a popular place for locals to visit with their children.
Kyoto Aquarium, just like Kyoto Station, stands a bit in contrast to the overall city image of traditional Japan (日本) because of their modern design.
That itself blesses the aquarium with a charm which will make you want to visit!
The one in Osaka is a lot bigger and houses more exotic creatures like a whale shark, which is worth a visit on its own!
If you’re into aquariums or ocean life, I suggest checking out both of them!
Opening Hours & Admission Fee
- Opened every day 10:00 – 18:00 (last entry 17:00)
- Small number of days closed for maintenance
- Admission Fee is 2,050 Yen (16€/$18; exchange rate as of November 2018)
How to get to Kyoto Aquarium
Kyoto Aquarium lies on the eastern side of Umekoji Park, about 15 minutes by foot from Kyoto Station.
Kyoto’s railway museum is only a few minutes farther west.
Takeaway
Kyoto Aquarium is one of the few modern touches Kyoto has received in recent years and that’s totally a good thing.
Kyoto is and will hopefully forever be known as the ancient capital of Japan with deep and valuable traditions and culture.
It is however still a big city with over a million inhabitants, so I think it’s great that it gets to have similar activities like other, more modern cities e.g. Osaka and Tokyo (東京).
The aquarium is a very nice afternoon activity especially for families. Combine your visit with the surrounding Umekoji Park and the railway museum and you’re almost busy for the entire day.
Explore sea creatures from around the world and become one with breathtaking natural sceneries. Highly recommended!
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In my next post we are going to take a look at one of the few bigger temples in Tokyo, Zojoji!
See you there!
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