Chiba Days #31 - Sunshine Aquarium

Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of Chiba Days on Tiro Finale. On a recent trip to Ikebukuro, I decided to pay the famous Sumida Aquarium a visit. Now expecting much from this world famous aquarium, largely because it was located on the top floor of a building, I had my reservation on just how good the aquarium would be. 

But, I could not have been anymore mistaken the moment I stepped foot into the aquarium. Despite being over several decades old, the Sunshine Aquarium was renovated a few years back and now sports more than just a fresh new coat of paint. 

With many aquariums, the talking point for the site would often be related to the size of tanks or the number of aquatic species available. Sunshine aquarium was certainly not going to take top marks in any of those categories owing to its location (atop a building). With size beng a major limitation, it would be very difficult for the aquarium to dazzle in terms of quantity. 

But what they lack in quantity, Sunshine Aquarium more than makes up or it in quality. It took me awhile to realize the reason something was amiss about the aquarium's panels until one of the guides during a performance pointed it out. The panels on the aquarium are all low-reflection curved acrylic which made for an incredibly vivid viewing experience. And this translates extremely well onto photos too where there is hardly any glare or reflection visible. 

Besides having an indoor component, the aquarium also had an outdoor component with animals such as penguins, seals, flamingos and otters. 

Once outdoors, you only need to look up at any given moment to be given a quick reminder of just where you are. Ikebukuro is one of the busiest parts of Tokyo but, it never once feels that way when in the aquarium. 

All of this and more for a 1,800 Yen entrance fee into this moderately sized aquarium. Some may consider this a little steep but, considering this is Tokyo, I would say that the entrance fees are certainly justified. 

After you are done with the main exhibits, there are still more to be seen. For starters, the cafe is located right next to the outdoor area. So, you could stop there for a coffee while admiring the seal swimming round and round its transparent tube. Or even pay a visit to the large souvenir shop with all merchandise for visitors of all age groups. 

Having visited the famous Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and the whale shark, I thought it would be hard for any other aquarium to top it much less come close. But, Sunshine Aquarium has certainly be a very pleasant surprise. While visiting an aquarium may not be the top of many foreigner's list of things to do when visiting Tokyo, I would strongly recommend it if time allows.

One more thing, if you do indeed have the time to visit Sunshine Aquarium, the Planetarium is located right next to it. That too is another attraction worth visiting with it being considered as one of the better aquariums in Japan. With that, we come to tiday's chapter featuring the Sunshine Aquarium. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!