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Shizuoka · zoo aquarium

Shimoda Floating Aquarium

下田海中水族館

An aquarium built in a natural cove in Shimoda, Izu. See local sea life aboard a round floating ship and watch dolphins that live in the cove up close.

An aquarium floating in a cove

Shimoda Floating Aquarium was built in Wakanoura, a natural irie (cove) in Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and opened in 1967. It is run by Fujita Kanko, a company that also operates hotels.

Its signature feature is the Aqua Dome Perry, a round ship floating in the cove. Inside this 1,300-tonne vessel is a large 600-cubic-metre tank recreating the sea around Izu, home to about 10,000 creatures of around 50 species, from fish to seaweed. The Izu coast is shaped both by the cold Oyashio current from the north and the warm Kuroshio current from the south, and deep water lies close to shore, so its sea life is very varied.

Up close with the dolphins

On the Sea Stage, floating in the cove, you can watch shows by the dolphins that live right there in the cove. In the Marine Stadium, a pool with glass all round, sea lions and Pacific white-sided dolphins (a species of dolphin) put on shows.

There are also paid programmes where you can feed the dolphins, meet them at the water's edge or swim with them. What each programme involves and who can take part varies, so check the official website.

Other exhibits include penguins, seals, Asian small-clawed otters and sea turtles.

Getting there

From Izukyu-Shimoda Station on the Izu Kyuko Line, it is about 7 minutes by local bus, about 5 minutes by taxi or about 25 minutes on foot. Buses to the aquarium leave from the station's bus stop, but they are not frequent.

If you drive, there is a free car park. Check opening hours, admission fees and show times on the official website.

Tips

  • There is an audio guide you use by scanning a QR code with your smartphone, and it includes English narration.
  • If you walk from the station, the aquarium recommends the route past Ryosen-ji temple and along the seafront.
  • Only a few buses a day run between the station and the aquarium, so check the time of your return bus first.
  • If you want to see the dolphins jump right in front of you, there are paid seats called Amazing Seats.

Sources

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

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Shizuoka · zoo aquarium Izu Shaboten Zoo 伊豆シャボテン動物公園 The zoo where capybaras first took to hot baths. See cacti from around the world in its greenhouses and get close to animals in the Izu highlands.
Shizuoka · historic site Toi Gold Mine 土肥金山 A West Izu gold mine that rivalled Sado in the Edo period. Walk real mine tunnels to see how gold was dug, then pan for tiny flakes of gold yourself.
Shizuoka · viewpoint Izu Panorama Park 伊豆パノラマパーク Near Izu-Nagaoka Onsen, a 7-minute ropeway ride takes you to the top of 452m Mount Katsuragi, where Ao Terrace looks out over Mount Fuji and Suruga Bay.
Shizuoka · coast Miho no Matsubara 三保松原 About 5km of pine forest with Mount Fuji across the sea, part of the Fujisan World Heritage Site, and the beach of the legend of the celestial maiden.
Shizuoka · bridge Mishima Skywalk 三島スカイウォーク A 400m pedestrian suspension bridge at the western foot of Hakone. On a clear day you can see Mount Fuji and Suruga Bay at once from the bridge.
Shizuoka · shrine Kunozan Toshogu Shrine 久能山東照宮 Where Tokugawa Ieyasu was first buried and the first of all Toshogu shrines: a vivid National Treasure on a hill above the sea, built 19 years before Nikko.