Japan is Nippon 日本語
Front of Echizen Matsushima Aquarium with dolphins and whales painted on its blue walls
Photo: inunami, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Fukui · zoo aquarium

Echizen Matsushima Aquarium

越前松島水族館

A hands-on aquarium by the Sea of Japan near Tojinbo. Walk on a glass floor over the fish and touch sharks and rays: you get very close to the animals here.

Aquarium grounds with pools and lawn beside the Sea of Japan at Echizen Matsushima
Photo: Tomomori, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A bottlenose dolphin leaping above the show pool at Echizen Matsushima Aquarium
Photo: Tomomori, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A hands-on aquarium right by the Sea of Japan

Echizen Matsushima Aquarium is in Mikuni-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. It opened in 1959 and stands on the coast of Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The Sea of Japan is right behind the building, and Tojinbo, famous for its dramatic sea cliffs, is very close by.

Its theme is "see, touch and learn while having fun". Rather than just looking through glass, many of the exhibits let you touch the animals or feed them.

A glass floor and a touch pool

A favourite is the tank that recreates a coral reef. Its surface is a glass floor, and as you walk across it, tropical fish swim beneath your feet, so it feels as if you are floating on the sea.

In the touch pool you can put your hands on sharks, rays, octopuses and more. You can also feed the sea turtles and fish (for a fee).

Dolphin shows and a penguin walk

Dolphin shows are held every day in the outdoor pool, and there are also penguin walk times, otter feeding and chances to meet the seals. An underwater tunnel lets you watch penguins swimming from below.

In 2026 the aquarium welcomed northern rockhopper penguins (small penguins with yellow plumes above their eyes) from another facility, and its clione display (a shell-less sea snail sometimes called the "angel of the drift ice") has reopened.

Getting there

By train, take a Keifuku bus from JR Awaraonsen Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen) for about 30 minutes and get off at the Echizen Matsushima Suizokukan stop. By car it is about 20 minutes from Kanazu IC on the Hokuriku Expressway, or about 50 minutes from Fukui Station.

Opening hours change with the season. Check them on the official website, along with show times and prices.

Tips

  • Shows and feeding sessions run at set times. When you go in, check the day's schedule first and plan your route round it.
  • Tojinbo and Mikuni Sunset Beach are nearby, making it easy to plan a day that takes in all three.
  • Pets are not allowed. Depending on the season, there are events such as swimming with fish or evening dolphin shows, so keep an eye on the notices on the official website.

Sources

Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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