Tateshina Amusement Aquarium, Public aquarium in Chino, Japan
Tateshina Amusement Aquarium is a public aquarium in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, with tanks holding both marine and freshwater animals across multiple exhibition areas. Each section presents a different type of aquatic environment, allowing visitors to move from one habitat to another as they walk through the building.
The aquarium opened in 1993 as part of a wave of leisure facilities that were being built in mountain resort areas of Nagano Prefecture at the time. It was designed to give families a reason to visit the Tateshina area throughout the year, not only during ski season.
The aquarium draws many families and school groups who combine a visit here with a day out in the Tateshina highlands. The setting gives the place a relaxed, outdoor-trip feel that is different from a city aquarium.
The aquarium is easiest to reach by car, and parking is available on site in the mountain area of Tateshina. Weekday visits tend to draw fewer people than weekends or school holidays, so the tanks are easier to see at a comfortable pace.
The aquarium sits at roughly 3,000 feet (900 meters) above sea level, making it one of the highest-elevation aquariums in Japan. Looking out from the building, visitors can see the forested slopes of the Tateshina mountains, a sharp contrast to the sea creatures inside.
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