Where to go in Tokyo when you want to look at lots of pretty fish and penguins? The friendly, neighborhood Tokyo Sea Life Park!
Tokyo Sea Life Park 葛西臨海水族園 (Kasai Rinkai Suizokuen) is a favorite in the Kanto area because it is very easy to access by train. (Continued after the Japanese summary)
水族館をゆっくり楽しみたいのなら
夏休みは葛西臨海水族園へ行ってみました。巨大な八景島シーパラダイスや鴨川シーワールドと違ってコンパクトで、そして、電車にアクセスしやすい水族館でした。残念ながら、夏休みということで来園者が殺到して写真撮影する状態ではありませんでした。週末や学生の夏休み中に行くのがお勧めできないのです・・・息苦しいほど混んでいました。しかし、また行きたくなるような楽しい場所でした。タイミングよく再挑戦したいですね。次回は、弁当を用意して朝早く行って、ゆっくり楽しみたいと思います^^。今まで撮れた写真を記載しましたのでよかったらご覧ください～
If you do want to travel by train or have a car and are willing to drive and then shell out for parking space just to enjoy the largest sea park (an entire artificial island) near Tokyo, then the place to be is the Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise 横浜・八景島シーパラダイス.
But the admission fee to Hakkeijima is more than thrice that of Tokyo Sea Life Park! Here we’ll talk about the more affordable choice.
Blue and yellow fish at the Tokyo Sea Life Park
Having been to Hakkeijima, I was not too happy with how compact and crowded Tokyo Sea Life Park was. But it’s still bigger than the other aquarium in Shinagawa, Tokyo. So it’s kind of the middle ground: easy on the budget, easy to get to.
Hello maguro! A scene at the Tokyo Sea Life Park.
The aquarium above houses swimming maguro or tuna fish :). I guess it’s fascinating for people to see tuna that is not in a can; when I look at these swimming beauties I feel guilty for gobbling up that tuna sandwich…
Little penguins!
Last March there was news of a penguin that escaped from the park; nearly three months later it was found swimming in a river in Chiba, 8km away from the park. I don’t know if the above pic is that of the said escape artist, but it looked so cool swimming here and there 🙂
Super Cute Adorable Baby Penguin Hi Hello T Shirts by swimtastic
View Penguin T-Shirts online at zazzle
When to Visit
So when’s the best time to visit aquarium parks in Japan? Anytime except summer!
That’s the lesson I learned this summer, when my husband and I attempted to visit the Tokyo Sea Life Park in the middle of July. We went to the park on a weekend and it was so crowded we gave up shooting photos and just tried to breathe through the throngs of visitors. Since the schools were on their summer vacation, people—from 3 to 93 years old—came in droves.
Less colorful, yes, but still cute. The tropical fish tanks were super-popular with the visitors and thus too crowded to go near. But this tank with less flashy fish had some elbow space.
The crowds were so thick that we had a difficult time navigating the area and missed capturing the views of the popular aquariums. I should know better than to visit places like these during the weekend as well as summer vacation time for students.
The Dolphin is My Friend Blue Sea Water Marine Joy T Shirts by swimtastic
Make custom shirts online at zazzle.com
When you can, try to avoid summer. Try to go on a weekday. When taking the kids on a weekend, best to go as early as possible (the park opens at 09:30) to beat the crowds.
What to Bring
There are a couple of stalls within the park selling food like hotdogs and french fries, as well as a restaurant inside the building. But on a weekend there are loooong lines of hungry visitors.
Benches with sail-like shades.
We saw families that packed their own lunch and ate leisurely on the shaded benches. They’re the smart ones for sure!
When visiting during summer, slather on lots of sun screen lotion. The penguins are in an area outside the building, when it can get really hot.
How to Get There
5 minutes walk from the JR Keiyo line’s Kasai Rinkai Koen station.
JR京葉線「葛西臨海公園駅」下車、徒歩５分
Address: Tokyo Sea Life Park, 6-2-3, Rinkai-cho, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 134-8587, Japan
住所：東京都江戸川区臨海町6-2-3
Admission fee is JPY 700 for adults. Discount for groups, senior citizens and middle school students. Free for middle school children and younger who are students in Tokyo schools. (Info as of September 2012)
無料公開日
みどりの日（５月４日）／都民の日（10月１日）／開園記念日（10月10日）
老人週間（９月15日～21日）期間中の開園日は60歳以上の方の入場は無料です（付添者１名無料）。
５月５日は中学生無料
Free Admission Days
On the following days admission is free for everyone (Yey!)
Greenery Day on May 4, Tokyo Residents’ Day on October 1, and Park Anniversary Day on October 10. May 5 is free admission for middle school students.
Green Sea Turtle Botanical Aquatic Water Leaves T-shirts by swimtastic
Design your own personalized clothes.
I Would Love to Hear from You!
So, what do you think of this article? Please share your thoughts and opinions in the Comments section below.
この記事についてのご意見・ご感想を是非、お聞かせください！コメント欄↓に書き込んで頂けると幸いです！
External Links
葛西臨海水族園 – 公式サイト。 Official site, with nice pictures.
Tokyo Sea Life Park – page with English information.
八景島シーパラダイス Hakkeijima Sea Paradise – 公式サイト。 Where to go when you have both time and money.
Books to Consider
関連書籍
Other Articles on BC Discoveries
Welcome! Whenever I plan an itinerary I try to read the first-hand account of others. Why? Because it helps! This site contains not just detailed accounts of my experiences, but also things I learned along the way. Hopefully they'll be a source of information (and inspiration?) to you. Enjoy!
まだまだ暑い日が続くけど、水族館は少しだけ涼しい気分になれますね。
新学期が始まったのでそんなに混まないかもしれませんね。秋こそもう一度行ってみたいです^^
Those roses of mine* are quite striking!
(Hibiscus=rose of Sharon, or so I’ve read, in case I’m causing any raised eyebrows)
Hehe, I didn’t know hibiscus was also known as “Rose of Sharon”. That’s a very pretty name (I think it sounds better than “hibiscus” or “gumamela”)!