Miyajima Public Aquarium - Shobara

The aquarium was surprisingly impressive with a large selection of sea life to see as well as a sea lion show. I thought it was on a relatiw small island that it would be a fairly small aquarium, but it took us a few hours to get our way through. the possibility to dive their hands or feet in the ponds of the small fish was also a great surprise.

Great aquarium. Compared to the Osaka one, this might feel a bit small. But I tend to say that the variety is still on par with the larger ones. Entry was not expensive, only 1400 yen. Every 30 Minutes an event is planned, that you can attend to. They all don't take that long, maybe 10~15 minutes. With that you can still spend multiple hours at this aquarium! They also have some Doctor Fish available for everyone to use. I know that in Europe the use of fish in spa's is frowned upon. So this is the place if you want to try it out. (although I recommend reading up on it first as people are prone to getting infections as a result of the fish eating away)

The aquarium was quite peaceful and had a much simpler format. Most of the signs and such aren't translated into Japanese, but they aren't required to take delight in the overall experience of the various fauna, with many species of fish, insects, and other types of creatures. There is a show that only those who can comprehend Japanese will be able to fully enjoy, of course, but this is still available to all viewers. The biggest fault to note is that certain spaces in the hallways are a little dark.

There were actually a lot of interesting exhibits. My favourite were the sea lions and penguins. I hope they are well treated, have space to live, and not forced to do tricks all the time. Unfortunately due to COVID, the touch tank was closed and the sea lion show had a limited number of seats. Therefore I suggest going at another time when it is safer. However, for the price, it was well worth it.

Small but enjoyable break from heat outside in summertime !