Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Public aquarium in Motobu, Japan
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is a four-storey public aquarium in Motobu, Okinawa, within Ocean Expo Park. Its 77 tanks follow the theme "Encounter the Okinawan Sea", from shallow reef (ino) to coral reef, the Kuroshio Current and the deep sea. The Kuroshio Sea tank, 35 m long, 27 m wide and 10 m deep, holds 7,500 m³ and is viewed through an acrylic panel 8.2 m high, 22.5 m wide and 60 cm thick, weighing 135 tonnes.
The facility opened in November 2002 within Ocean Expo Park and later received the Public Buildings Award for its architectural and educational contributions. The site was chosen to commemorate the Okinawa International Ocean Exposition held in 1975 and to advance regional marine research.
The name was chosen by public vote: chura means "beautiful" or "graceful" in the Okinawan language, and umi means "ocean" in Japanese. The Okichan Theater next door, free to enter, shows bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales; the dolphin Fuji, who lost most of her tail to illness in 2005, returned to the shows with an artificial tail and inspired a 2007 film. Sea turtle and manatee halls sit in the same park.
The facility is accessible for wheelchair users, with ramps and elevators connecting all main areas. Visitors should plan around three to four hours to view the exhibits comfortably and catch feeding times.
The main tank, Kuroshio Sea, measures 35 meters (115 feet) long and holds whale sharks and manta rays swimming among thousands of fish. The acrylic panel at the front weighs over 100 tons and ranks among the largest of its kind worldwide.
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