Japan is Nippon 日本語
Exterior of Aqua World Oarai aquarium with its round building and shark logo
Photo: Jennie Kondo (Jennie Valdivieso Kondo - Grialte), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ibaraki · zoo aquarium

Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium

アクアワールド茨城県大洗水族館

A seaside aquarium in Oarai, Ibaraki, famous for about 50 kinds of shark and a tank just for sunfish: one of the Kanto region's largest ocean museums.

An ocean sunfish swimming in a bright blue tank at Aqua World Oarai
Photo: Miyuki Meinaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A prefectural aquarium on the Oarai coast

Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium is the prefecture's aquarium, on the coast in the town of Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture. The history of the aquarium in Oarai goes back to 1952, and it was rebuilt on a large scale in 2002, taking on its present form.

The official website describes it as "one of the largest all-round ocean museums in the Kanto region", displaying around 68,000 creatures of about 580 species in 60 tanks, large and small.

Japan's largest number of shark species on display

The aquarium's biggest draw is its sharks. It keeps about 50 species of shark, said to be the most of any aquarium in Japan. Try comparing how the different species vary in shape and in the way they swim.

The main tank, the Great Tank of the Sea of Encounters, is home to about 20,000 creatures of about 80 species, and sea turtles swim there too.

Sunfish, and the dolphin and sea lion show

The other star attraction is the ocean sunfish. It is rare for an aquarium to display several sunfish together, but here you can see a number of them in a tank devoted to sunfish.

A dolphin and sea lion show, the Dolphin and Sea Lion Ocean Live, is held every day. The show was renewed with a new programme in March 2026.

Getting there

By train, take a local bus from Oarai Station, which takes about 15 minutes. By car, you can get there from Mito-Oarai IC. There is plenty of free parking, but it gets busy at weekends and on holidays.

Opening hours, prices and show times may change, so check the official website.

Tips

  • At busy times, buying your ticket online in advance gets you priority entry.
  • The food court inside the aquarium is closed for renovation and is due to reopen in spring 2027 (as of September 2026). Plan to eat at places nearby too.
  • On weekends and holidays, parking availability is announced on the aquarium's official X (formerly Twitter) account.

Sources

Updated 28 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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