Shinagawa Aquarium

About this place

Shinagawa Aquarium is one of the three full featured aquariums in the Tokyo area. The aquarium was opened in October, 1991 and has established a tradition of opening a new section for every 5 year anniversary. Penguin land was opened in August 1996 and was followed by the shark tank in 2001 and the seal observation building in 2006. The first sections of the aquarium deal with the native fish of Tokyo Bay. Sadly, the displays might be a more natural environment for the fish than where they were scooped up from. There is a surprising diversity of fish out in the bay that most people in Tokyo would never encounter if it weren't for these displays. Most of the displays are medium or smaller sized when compared with other aquariums in Japan. The underwater tunnel through the large tank is still as impressive as when the aquarium opened. The tank holds an astonishing menagerie of aquatic creatures. The final sections that contain the 5 year anniversary additions are some of the best parts of Shinagawa Aquarium. The spotted seal observation building is probably the best exhibit in the aquarium.