Toba Aquarium, Aquarium in Toba, Japan
The Toba Aquarium is a marine facility in Toba that displays over 1,200 species of aquatic life across several exhibition areas. The building organizes its tanks by different habitats, ranging from saltwater zones to freshwater environments.
The aquarium opened on May 15, 1955, founded by Marukou Shouten as Japan's 26th aquarium, with a 200-tsubo pond divided into four sections. It became a corporation in 1956 and a private museum under the Museum Law in 1958. Taisei Corporation designed and supervised the current site, formerly a Shinko Electric factory, whose first phase was completed on July 2, 1990, and the entire building opened on April 10, 1994.
The dugong Serena was given to the aquarium by the Philippine government in 1987, not 1986, and is the only dugong on display in Japan, in the Sea of Mermaid zone. The aquarium also keeps a green sea turtle named Kamekichi there. Its dugong breeding record of 11,475 days (31 years and 5 months) was set by the male Junichi, who died on 10 February 2011 at an estimated age of 33.
The aquarium is about a ten-minute walk from Toba Station, and buses of Mie Kotsu's CAN bus and Kamome bus stop at the Toba Aquarium stop. The roughly 1.5 km of corridors has no set viewing order, so visitors pick their own route. Pamphlets come in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. A behind-the-scenes tour runs on Saturdays and Sundays only.
The facility avoids a prescribed route and lets visitors choose their own sequence through the exhibitions. This open design sets it apart from most other aquariums and encourages a self-directed visit.
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