Whether traveling to Kagoshima with your family, friends, or you’re living here for some time, there are several locales which should make it to your “must see/must do” list. One of these is certainly the Kagoshima City Aquarium.
Located just east of the main shopping district, it is easily accessible from anywhere downtown. The most convenient way to get there for those without cars is to take a street car or bus from Central Station (Chuo Eki). There are even special aquarium buses, distinguishable by their oceanic coloration and dolphin fins. It takes only 15 minutes by bus and approximately 25 minutes by street car (due to an 8-10 minute walk from the street car stop).
Recently, I visited the aquarium with my wife, children and a friend with her two children. The boys are playmates and we had promised to take them to the aquarium for good behavior. We met up with our friends near the ticket booth. The boys were excited to get right in but my wife was taking a few minutes to register us for the annual pass. Anyone who will be living in Kagoshima for a year or more should take advantage of this offer. It’s good for twelve months from the purchase date and it saves you time and money at the ticket booth. It also entitles you to discounts at the gift shops and free beverages at the café.
After having our pictures taken for our passes we went by the baby sea turtle pool. It’s a shallow above ground pool with several cute hatchlings paddling around. There was even one little guy resting on a buoy as his pals skirted by. Attached to the side of the pool are steps so that children can climb up and peek inside.
We then took the escalator up to the main tank. The effect it gives of slowly ascending through an ocean blue tunnel, ending and opening into a large viewing room with a massive tank filled all sorts of sea life is really spectacular. I’ll never forget the first time my son saw this tank. He ran right up to the tank and pressed his nose to the glass. At that moment, a large manta ray swam by brushing the glass right before his eyes. He fell back and gaped having realized that what he saw was real life and not TV. This time around he knew what to expect, but he was in no less awe. He cautiously approached the glass with his friend. They both stood there silently, each with a hand on the glass, and followed the largest specimens with their wide eyes. These include the manta ray, the giant sturgeon, and the king of the tank the whale shark.
After waking the boys from their trance we proceeded through the underwater tunnel towards the showrooms. The main display in the second floor showroom is the Sea of the Nansei Islands exhibit. It features a beautiful, delicate coral reef with tropical fish of all sizes and colors. There are also small sharks native to the islands. This exhibit is surrounded by various other smaller exhibits of tropical fish and other sea life from the waters around the islands. At this point, the boys began running like mad from tank to tank. We decided to stop in at the cafeteria for refreshments and a short break before going to the next floor. We used our annual pass to receive complimentary beverages for the kids. My wife, her friend, and I had ice cream floats. I had the cream soda float and was surprised to find that Japanese cream soda is blue. It was quite good.
Having finished our drinks and some snacks we took the escalator up to the fourth floor. Yes, the fourth floor. The designers are attempting to tell a story and that story continues from the second to the fourth floor, because most of the third floor is set aside for special exhibitions and audio/visual productions. However, there are some tanks on the third floor, one of which is a favorite of mine. Anyway, we headed up another escalator and exited into a lava tunnel. That’s right, a lava tunnel. The next part of the story takes you through the Sea of Kagoshima. As we have a volcano sitting in the middle of the bay, I think it was clever of the designers to incorporate that into that section. Upon exiting the tunnel you will find various tanks with native sea life in replications of their natural environment in the waters around Kagoshima. The squid tank is very colorful as the squid frequently change colors while they dance around the tank. There is also a seaweed forest with very large, dark fish swimming between the branches. Always shocking for people is the crab tank. It contains four or five spider crabs the size of which I still can’t believe. Now, let me qualify that by saying that I know almost nothing of crabs except what I get in restaurants or see at the supermarket. The ones in that tank are huge. They’ve got to be around a meter across from toe to toe. Their bodies are easily as large as a basketball. From here you can also make your way up to the fifth floor, which is essentially a viewing hall and rest area. There are several cushioned seats and a commanding view of Kinko Bay. There is also a prominently displayed skeleton of a Cuvier’s beaked whale. It is the world’s first (and maybe only) complete skeleton of its type on display.
Taking the escalator, we moved down to the third floor. The third floor houses the exhibition room, the theatre room, the giant eel tank and the jelly fish tanks. There are also computers for interactive learning. I always enjoy peering into the jellyfish tanks. One of them is home to the Moon Jellies. They are a type native to Kagoshima and very abundant in the waters of the bay. If you look into the water as you ride one of the ferries, you will most likely see that the water is teeming with jellyfish.
After viewing the exhibits on the third floor, we moved down to the first floor. Everyone was feeling a bit peaked, so we decided to head out for lunch. We made sure to get our hands stamped for re-entry before leaving the lobby. You have only to ask the nice ladies at the information desk a stamp to re-enter. We walked out into the cool autumn afternoon with a strange hankering for sushi.
My story continues next week as we head out for sushi to one of Kagoshima city’s most popular bayside areas. Then it’s back to the aquarium for some more viewings and even a dolphin show.
