Aqua World Oarai Aquarium Tickets

Aqua World Oarai on the Ibaraki coast is Japan’s shark aquarium, keeping more species of shark than any other facility in the country, and it wears the title proudly. It is a big, serious, modern aquarium facing the Pacific north of Tokyo, and for travellers willing to leave the capital’s well worn circuit, it delivers one of the best marine days in eastern Japan.

Sharks and the northern Pacific

The shark tanks are the headline, from sleek reef species to the heavyweight sand tigers drifting past the glass with their permanent menace, alongside a celebrated collection of ocean sunfish, another of the aquarium’s specialties. The main tank recreates the collision of currents off the Ibaraki coast with thousands of swirling fish, and the dolphin and sea lion show fills a large stadium with a genuinely strong program. Touch pools and kids zones make it an easy family day.

Making the trip

Oarai is a seaside town with a broad beach, a famous shrine gate standing in the surf at Oarai Isosaki Shrine, and good seafood around the port, so the aquarium anchors a proper coastal day trip rather than a dash there and back.

Getting there

Take the JR Joban Line limited express from Ueno to Mito, about seventy five minutes, then transfer to the Oarai Kashima Line for the short run to Oarai Station, from which buses and taxis cover the last stretch to the aquarium. Highway buses from Tokyo to Oarai are a direct alternative.

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