Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Marine theme park and aquarium complex on Hakkeijima island near Yokohama, Japan
Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise is a complex on the artificial island of Hakkeijima in Yokohama, made up of the Aqua Museum, Dolphin Fantasy, Fureai Lagoon, Umi Farm, Pleasure Land rides, a shopping mall, hotel and marina. The Aqua Museum, the main aquarium, has a steep white pyramid-shaped roof above a dark glass facade with horizontal bands; inside, exhibits occupy the first, third and fourth floors, and the Aqua Theater is on the fifth.
The facility was launched in March 1988 by nine companies of the Seibu Railway Group, including Seibu Real Estate and Prince Hotel. Yokohama City created the artificial island of Hakkeijima and leased part of it to Yokohama Hakkeijima Inc., which opened the park on May 8, 1993. The island covers about 24 hectares, of which 76,385.69 square meters are leased to the operator.
Umi Farm, opened on March 8, 2013, is built around the concept of "umi-iku" (sea education). In the Food Education Zone, visitors fish in the Fishing Square and must eat every fish they catch, cooked at the on-site kitchen. The Ocean Lab lets them lift seaweed on the Seaweed Deck and watch the sea from the Submarine Research window.
Entry to the island itself is free, while aquariums and rides require separate admission. Visitors can choose individual areas or combination tickets that cover multiple attractions.
The Aqua Museum's pyramid-shaped building, visible from the water, housed eastern Japan's first whale sharks from October 5, 2010; the last one died in 2019. The park appears in the 2002 film Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, where it is destroyed by Godzilla after guests escape.
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