Marine World Uminonakamichi, Fukuoka: What to See and How to Get There

A Fukuoka aquarium on Hakata Bay, with tanks recreating the seas around Kyushu and dolphin and sea lion shows in a pool with the sea behind it.

Calm Hakata Bay seen from the shore near Marine World, with Fukuoka city on the far side — Photo: そらみみ (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

An aquarium themed on Kyushu's seas

Marine World Uminonakamichi is an aquarium on Uminonakamichi, the sandbar in Higashi ward, Fukuoka city, and it opened in 1989. It faces Hakata Bay, with the city of Fukuoka across the water.

Kyushu is surrounded by four seas (the East China Sea, the Pacific, the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea), and every one of its prefectures has a coastline. The aquarium is divided by themes drawn from Kyushu's waters, such as "Kyushu's Coastal Seas", "Kyushu's Open Ocean" and "Kyushu's Deep Sea", and there are also areas called "Kyushu Forest of Water", which follows water on its journey from the mountains to rivers and the sea, and "Amami's Sea and Forest".

The Open Ocean Tank and the sunameri

One of the highlights is the 7-metre-deep Open Ocean Tank, which recreates the warm seas of southern Kyushu where the Kuroshio Current flows. You can see how fish in the upper, middle and bottom layers each live in different ways. The aquarium also keeps sand tiger sharks, a large shark species, and takes part in research on them in the wild.

On the first floor you can see sunameri (finless porpoises), small dolphins that also live around northern Kyushu; they are the most common dolphin off the Fukuoka coast. There are also jellyfish displays and Hone no Oto, an exhibit where you learn the secrets behind the shapes of bones.

Shows with Hakata Bay as the backdrop

The show pool sits in an open spot with Hakata Bay behind it, and the dolphin and sea lion shows are popular. Some seats at the front of the stands can be booked in advance. At the outdoor Kaiju Island you can watch animals from all sorts of angles and get close to them.

Note that the dolphin and sea lion shows are suspended from 12 January to 9 April 2027 for repair work on the show pool and stands. During that period you can still see dolphins at the Open Ocean Tank show and in the dolphin pool at Kaiju Island.

Getting there

From JR Hakata Station take the Kagoshima Main Line to Kashii Station, change to the JR Kashii Line (towards Saitozaki) and get off at Uminonakamichi Station. From Tenjin you can also take the subway and the Nishitetsu Kaizuka Line, changing to the JR Kashii Line at Wajiro Station.

You can also go by boat across Hakata Bay (Yasuda Sangyo Kisen). By car it is about 15 minutes from the Island City exit of the Fukuoka Urban Expressway. The roads around it get busy during the big holiday periods, so public transport is recommended. Opening hours and show times vary from day to day, so check the official website.

Tips

Show times are listed in the Show Schedule on the official website. Check them as soon as you arrive and plan the order in which you see everything else around them.
The dolphin and sea lion shows are suspended from 12 January to 9 April 2027, so watch the dates if the shows are what you are coming for.
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park, a national government park, is right nearby, so you can visit both.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Marine World Uminonakamichi