Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe Tickets

Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe is an aquarium inside a Danish castle, because Hokkaido saw no reason it should not be. The park’s replica renaissance castle rises improbably from the small port town below the famous onsen, and within its walls live sharks, jellyfish and the fish of the northern seas, while penguins parade the grounds outside like they own them.

Inside the castle

The castle holds the main aquarium, where a crystal tower tank and tunnel displays carry you through schools of fish, with jellyfish rooms lit like galleries and touch pools for the brave. Outside in Nixe Land, the twice daily penguin parade is the undisputed headline, a delegation of king penguins waddling past visitors at boot height with magnificent indifference. Sea lion and dolphin performances round out the schedule.

A useful pairing with the onsen

Because the park sits by Noboribetsu Station rather than up in the hot spring village, it slots neatly into arrival or departure day, filling a couple of hours before the bus up to the baths. Families overnighting in Noboribetsu Onsen often find it the ideal morning counterweight to an afternoon in Hell Valley.

Getting there

The park is a five minute walk from JR Noboribetsu Station, which limited express trains reach in about seventy five minutes from Sapporo. Turn toward the castle towers visible from the station and you cannot go wrong.

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