Amazing engineering - The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The Okinawa Churaumi is the world’s second largest aquarium and part of the Ocean Expo Park located in Motobu, Okinawa. The main tank holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water. The aquarium has three theme zones - 1) the giant, warm Black Current (“Kuroshio”), 2) living coral reefs and 3) the two deep sea areas located on each side of the Ryukyu Islands. Entering from the 4rth floor entrance, visitors discover the sea of corals. The Kuroshio (the Japan Current) zone has the world’s largest acrylic panoramic window (60cm or 23.62in. thick/8.2m or 26.9ft. high/22.5m or 73.81ft. long) of the sea tank, enclosing 7,500 tons of water. This magnificent aquarium is not only awesome in size. There is also the deep-sea world zone with its luminescent living creatures. A total underwater experience while staying on the ground!

Wonders and mysteries of the unknown underwater world are housed at this new aquarium that opened on November 1st, 2002. Exhibits feature the blue oceans deepest secrets, with a multitude of marine and coral habitats in an open-air environment. Kuroshio is one of the two largest currents in the world stretching from the Philippines, north between Taiwan an Yonaguni Island, continuing north past Kyushu and Shikoku in mainland Japan before heading east near the Boso peninsula close to Tokyo. The exhibits here at Churaumi have been designed to allow visitors to start at the beach and gradually journey down into the deep sea world, as if taking a dive themselves. Through these exhibits, we hope to show visitors the beauty of the sea and its precious value. This is our heartfelt message from Okinawa to the world.

The name of the new aquarium is Churaumi, “chura” meaning beautiful in the Okinawan dialect and “umi” meaning ocean. Inside, dozens of tanks ranging in size from small to gigantic house thousands of fish and sea life from every depth of the ocean surrounding Okinawa in Kuroshio, the black current, which Okinawa sits atop. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium’s main attraction is “Kuroshio Sea”. In this Kuroshio Sea tank, one of the world’s largest, gigantic whale sharks, manta rays, and schools of large fish are swimming calmly around in this 7,500 ton gigantic tank. Exhibit space of sharks, exhibited space of deep sea world. Learn and discover about environment and lives of deep sea by watching videos and display panels. Touch and feel the water temperature of 600m below. You can observe various teeth, skin samples, and watch number of sharks known as “dangerous sharks”. Here you can easily observe huge whale sharks and manta rays through the largest acrylic window in the world. Large-scale exhibition of living corals and breeding of whale sharks and manta rays are our unprecedented challenges. The deep sea conceals as many mysteries as outer space. This floor offers a journey to a mysterious world, Okinawa Deep Sea is reproduced here. Watch whale sharks, manta rays and schools of fish swimming over your head. Natural sun light creates the illumination that makes you feel like you are in the ocean. Discover the lives of deep sea at here. Exhibit includes creature of deep sea such as moray eels, 2-meter-long spider crabs, and snake mackerel.

Observe corals from top of the Coral Sea tank. Natural light and Ocean water are used to raise corals. “Inoo” is Okinawan word for tide pool of coral reef area. Inoo is reproduced here, and you can get familiar with creatures live in Inoo. Touch and observe! Living coral is raised in a large scale seen nowhere else in the world. Aquarium is planning to release corals raised here to the ocean in the future. Observe thousands of colorful fish and creatures of the tropical sea. Here you find large variety of fishes from angelfish to giant grouper. You can ask questions about whale sharks and manta rays. Reception desk for “Water Observation Tour” is located. Watch documentary about Ocean life in Okinawa marine life with Hi-Vision system. A surprise is waiting for you at the end of the show…

A multitude of staff are endlessly taking care of the 26,000 inhabitants residing at Churaumi Aquarium. The aquarium prepares more than 300 kilograms of krill, squid and herring a day. The large whale shark consumes about 20 kilograms of feed per day. One can only imagine the amount of feed prepared in a month! Fresh seawater and lots of sunlight are required when raising live coral. Employees have delicately and efficiently raised the residents of this open-air environment for over seven to eight years. At present, approximately 80 coral species reside in this pool. The aquarium took special care in building an environment similar to their natural habitat. 300 tons of seawater is pumped from the sea 24 hours a day and circulates through the pool every hour.

Open Hours: The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is open from 9:30 to 17:30 during spring and autumn, 9:30 to 18:30 in summer and 9:00 to 17:00 in winter.
Just imagine sitting in an enclosed watertight space while this giant gentle creature glides above and around you…