The Osaka’s Kaiyukan Aquarium is one of the largest public aquariums in the world. It exhibits a total of 15 large tanks representing various regions of the Pacific Rim and houses a total of 30, 000 marine creatures. Aside from that, it also displays amphibians, birds, mammals, marine invertebrates, and reptiles.
CONCEPT OF KAIYUKAN AQUARIUM
The principal theme for Kaiyukan Aquarium was based on the Gaia hypothesis proposed by Dr. James Lovelock. The Gaia hypothesis is an ecological theory that the Earth with its many active volcanoes and all of its living creatures closely interact with each other to form and function as a single organism. Also, there is considerable overlap in the Pacific Ocean region between the Pacific Rim volcanic belt, this area is characterized by rich biodiversity. Thus, the Kaiyukan aquarium embodies the concepts of the Pacific Rim area of the world.
VARIOUS GALLERY OF LIVING CREATURES
MARINE SETTING
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Pacific Ocean
– This exhibit is a 9 meters deep and 34 meters long containing 5, 400 tons of water that serves as a home of the whale sharks.
- Great Barrier Reef
– This reflects the Australian’s Great Barrier Reef. This exhibit is a collection of over 5, 000 coral reefs. It also features vibrantly colored fishes swimming around among an exquisite reproduction of the reef. - Tasman Sea– This section reflects the small sea area around New Zealand that has a very sharp water temperature gradient. This exhibit reveals the ecology of the Pacific white-sided dolphins spread across the warm sea area.
- Seto Inland Sea – This part of the aquarium refers to the starting point of aquaculture fisheries. In this exhibit, there are numerous representative examples among the variety of fish that are carried to this sea area by the currents.
- Antarctica – This icy and snow-clad section reflects the Antarctic environment and houses penguins in their natural rock and ice setting.
- Cook Strait – This section refers to the Cook Strait that divides New Zealand into its North and South Islands. The exhibit here displays the sea turtles native to the Cook Strait and some other indigenous species of fishes.
- Japan Deep – This exhibit centers on the inhabitants of the Sea of Japan that extends about 200 – 400 meters in depth. Displayed in this section includes spider crabs that are the largest variety in the world.
- Coast of Chile – This part showcases species of sardines swimming around the rocks in search of the massive amounts of plant and animal plankton.
- Jellyfish – In this section, you can find remarkable numbers of jellyfish floating in the waters like they are floating in space.
- Monterey Bay – In this area, you can observe coastal sea lions and seals on both land and sea. This reflects the cliffs of California’s coastline that is home to numerous species of aquatic mammals.
- Aqua Gate – This part is named as the Fish Underpass – Aqua Gate. It lets you walk through the tunnel and look around anywhere you wanted under the blue sea.
FOREST SETTING
- Ecuador Rain Forest – The Ecuador rainforest section reflects the South American tropical rainforest that holds diverse plant and animal life.
- Gulf of Panama – This part showcases the large tropical rainforest of Panama. It showcases both marine creatures but also some other living beings native to Panama.
- Japan Forest – This exhibit recreates a typical Japanese forest. You can with various species of river fish and creatures that live near water.
- Seasonal Exhibits – This part of the Kaiyukan aquarium exhibits sections from time to time throughout the year. It highlight various types of creatures for extra attention.
Enjoy some two-and-a-half-hour trip at the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium with its vibrant and dynamic display of various living creatures in their natural habitat. You can visit by train, car and shuttle boat. Osaka-ko Station is the best access to the Tempozan. You can take the Osaka City bus #88 from Osaka Station or #60 from Namba station. The admission rate is 2300 yen for adults and 1200 yen for students.