Echizen Matsushima Aquarium

The Echizen Matsushima Aquarium is a marine facility in Tojinbo Onsen housing roughly 350 species and over 7,000 sea creatures. The collection features rare fish from the Sea of Japan, along with penguins, otters, and seals displayed in multiple tanks and viewing areas.

The facility opened in 1959 and became a key marine education center in Fukui Prefecture. Over decades, it developed into a regional hub for learning about ocean life and conservation.

The facility holds daily keeper talks and training demonstrations where visitors watch penguins and otters display natural behaviors up close. These sessions help guests connect with the animals and understand how they live in and out of water.

The site provides free parking for over 400 vehicles and is well-equipped with ramps, elevators, and complimentary wheelchairs. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since pathways connect various tanks and viewing zones throughout the grounds.

The Sango no Umi exhibit features a transparent floor where visitors can lie down and watch fish swimming directly below them. This unusual vantage point offers an intimate perspective on marine creatures that most exhibits do not provide.