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There are a wide variety of aquariums around the world, each with its own unique concept, exhibits, and architectural features, inviting visitors into the world of the ocean.
Among these, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, one of Japan’s leading aquariums, has attracted international attention for its long-term breeding and propagation of whale sharks and southern blue manta rays, and is highly regarded by aquarium fans, researchers, and educators in Japan and abroad for its educational displays and in-depth reproduction of Okinawa’s marine ecosystem.
This article compares Churaumi Aquarium with the world-famous Georgia Aquarium (U.S.A.), Singapore Aquarium (S.E.A. Aquarium), and Dubai Aquarium (UAE), and also covers major Japanese aquariums (Kaiyukan, Kamogawa Sea World, Nagoya Port Aquarium, Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, and Shin Enoshima Aquarium). (Kaiyukan, Kamogawa Sea World
Comparison with leading aquariums in the world
| – | Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium | Georgia Aquarium | Singapore Aquarium | Dubai Aquarium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| building area | Approx. 10,000 m² | Approximately 60,000 m² | Approx. 8,000 m² | Approx. 12,000 m² |
| total floor space | Approximately 19,000 m² | – | – | – |
| largest water tank | Water volume 7,500m³ (Kuroshio Sea) | Water volume 24,000 m³ (Oceana Voyage) | Water volume 18,000 m³ (open ocean tanks) | Water volume 10,000 m³. |
| Main Exhibits | Whale Shark, Southern Blue Manta Rays | Whale sharks, beluga, manta rays, dolphins | Mantas, dolphins, sharks, and diverse marine life from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean | Sharks, rays, tropical fish, desert ecosystems |
| Notable Features | Successful long-term breeding of whale sharks and the world’s first successful breeding of the southern blue manta ray | World’s largest aquarium, diverse exhibits of marine mammals, extensive shows and educational programs | Asia’s largest aquarium, large panoramic tank, diverse marine life exhibits divided by region | World’s largest acrylic panel, located in a large shopping mall, architectural design as part of a high-rise building |
Order of magnitude
- Georgia Aquarium
- Singapore Aquarium
- Dubai Aquarium
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Compared to these world-class aquariums, Churaumi Aquarium is inferior in scale, but has established its own brand value through “reproduction of local ecosystems” and “successful breeding and reproduction research.
Exhibition concept and educational nature
Churaumi Aquarium presents a “story” of Okinawa’s marine environment – from coral reefs to the deep sea – as a unique local ecosystem. The aquarium is designed so that visitors will naturally become aware of the importance of marine conservation as they become familiar with the waters of the island nation of Japan, where they live.
The Georgia Aquarium, on the other hand, draws people’s attention through entertaining shows and a variety of marine mammal exhibits, backed by one of the world’s largest facility scales. In addition, the Georgia Aquarium seamlessly blends fun and learning by promoting understanding of highly intelligent creatures such as belugas and dolphins, providing ecological observation in a large aquarium tank, and enhancing educational programs.
Taking advantage of one of the largest exhibition scales in Asia, the Singapore Aquarium presents the diverse biota of each ocean region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean from a geographical perspective. This allows visitors to gain a bird’s eye view of the world’s marine diversity. From an educational standpoint, the museum is a place where the interrelationships among ecosystems and approaches to environmental issues are presented in an easy-to-understand manner, fostering a global perspective.
The Dubai Aquarium is located in a huge commercial complex and emphasizes a hybrid experience with sightseeing and shopping. The giant aquarium, visible through powerful acrylic panels, is an extraordinary urban entertainment experience, while at the same time, it is an ingenious way of making city dwellers interested in nature by exposing them to the ecology of popular creatures such as sharks and stingrays.
Comparison between major domestic aquariums and Churaumi Aquarium
Kaiyukan (Osaka)
Basic concept: A learning space for understanding marine diversity on a global scale by reproducing the ocean areas and ecosystems surrounding the Pacific Rim volcanic belt.
Exhibition method: Centered on the giant “Pacific Ocean” tank, which is over 9 meters high, visitors descend in a spiral to get a bird’s-eye view of the different ocean regions. The exhibit features whale sharks, manta rays, jellyfish, sharks, and many other eye-catching creatures. It is not just a “giant exhibit,” but is also characterized by storytelling based on ocean currents and landforms.
Educational significance: Visitors can visually learn how the environment and biota change as they migrate from the cold waters of the western coast of South America to temperate waters and tropical coral reef areas.
Comparison with Churaumi Aqu arium: While Churaumi delves deeply into the “localness” of the seas around Okinawa and focuses on preservation of local ecosystems and research on captive breeding, Kaiyukan presents ecosystem dynamics in the huge natural setting of the “Pacific Rim. There is a clear difference in the scale of their perspectives, whether it is a deep dive limited to a local area or a bird’s eye view on a global scale.
Kamogawa Sea World (Chiba)
Exhibit Characteristics: Specializing in marine animals such as killer whales, dolphins, beluga whales, and sea lions, the center excels at creating dynamic performances through shows.
Educational and entertainment characteristics: The show format is not merely entertainment, but also a place to convey behavioral and ecological knowledge to the audience. The orca’s jumping and communicative behaviors arouse the audience’s interest in and respect for “smart marine mammals.
Comparison with Churaumi Aquarium: While Churaumi provides static and intellectual observation opportunities through interpretive panels and exhibit design, Kamogawa engages visitors through a dynamic approach of “performance. The approaches to learning are contrasting in that they are observational (Churaumi) and experiential (Kamogawa).
Nagoya Port Aquarium (Aichi)
Exhibition structure: Divided into the “Northern Hemisphere Pavilion” and the “Southern Hemisphere Pavilion,” the exhibit uses a contrasting method of showing the environment from the polar regions to the tropics to raise awareness of the global ocean circulation.
Research and conservation activities: The aquarium has strong ties with universities and research institutions, and through its exhibits communicates climate change, ocean acidification, and biodiversity conservation from an academic perspective.
Comparison with Churaumi Aquarium: Nagoya Port Aquarium provides visitors with an understanding of the ocean from a global perspective based on earth science. Churaumi, on the other hand, specializes in the marine ecosystem around Okinawa and thoroughly pursues its local depth. Both aquariums support marine education from the two extremes of “broad, global awareness” (Port of Nagoya) and “local, indigenous depth knowledge” (Churaumi).
Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (Kanagawa)
Characteristics: A theme park complex of an aquarium and an amusement park. Entertainment-oriented management with a strong focus on families and younger visitors.
Exhibited species: A variety of species including dolphins, sharks, rays, deep-sea creatures, jellyfish, etc. Entertainment is provided according to the season and time of day, including daytime and nighttime events.
Educational value: Mainly for leisure, but also providing opportunities to come into contact with the wonders of marine life and environmental issues through exhibit explanations and events. It functions as a “gateway” to the ocean for a wide range of visitors rather than as a high-level academic institution.
Comparison with Churaumi Aquarium: While Churaumi has a strong focus on research and education, Hakkeijima focuses on marine experiences as comprehensive entertainment. Although the depth of learning may be inferior, it plays an important role as a “gateway” to arouse interest in the ocean.
Enoshima Aquarium (Kanagawa)
Characteristics: Similar to Churaumi in its focus on the limited area of Sagami Bay. However, the approach will be “advanced and niche” in terms of academic collaboration and focus on deep-sea life and jellyfish research.
Academic and cutting-edge: The aquarium is proactive in developing new exhibition formats, including cooperation with research institutions, introduction of the latest science, and upgrading of jellyfish exhibits.
Comparison with Churaumi Aquarium: Both aquariums are community-based, but Churaumi has a strong “easy-to-understand” appeal for tourists, centered on whale sharks and NANYO-UMANTA, while Shin Enoshima has shifted toward satisfying more specialized intellectual curiosity, including ecological topics and deep-sea biological research. They can be considered two “region-specific aquariums” with different depths and qualities.
Other notable domestic aquariums and facilities
Aquamarine Fukushima (Fukushima)
Feature: Reproduces the sea area off the coast of Sanriku and Joban, known as the “sea of tides,” and exhibits the ecosystem where the northern and southern ocean currents intersect. The museum is also highly regarded for its efforts in reconstruction and marine education after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Comparison points: The museum focuses on regional specialization and environmental education, and like Churaumi, it is a center for ecosystem preservation and regional understanding.
Kyoto Aquarium, Kyoto, Japan
Characteristics: As an inland aquarium, it focuses on rare freshwater and brackish water creatures, domestic river environments, and ecosystem cycles.
Comparison points: The aquarium is not limited to the oceans, but also shows the connection from rivers to the sea, providing an opportunity to think broadly about the circulatory system of “water,” which can serve as a supporting line for a deeper understanding of marine ecosystems.
Sumida Aquarium, Tokyo, Japan
Characteristics: As an urban aquarium, it offers jellyfish and penguins in a sophisticated design space, as well as exhibits of the Izu Islands waters in the Tokyo Big Tank.
Comparison point: The aquarium plays the role of an “urban oasis” that attracts city dwellers to the ocean. While Churaumi emphasizes the local nature of Okinawa’s rich natural environment, Sumida seeks to create a connection between urban life and the ocean.
Comparison with zoos with marine life
In addition to the aquarium, there is also a zoo that exhibits some marine and coastal species such as penguins, seals, otters, and seabirds.
In addition, there are comprehensive facilities such as Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido and Adventure World in Wakayama that exhibit a full range of marine mammals and penguins, and the boundary between aquariums and zoos is becoming increasingly blurred.
Asahiyama Zoo, Hokkaido
Feature: Famous for its behavioral exhibits. Seabirds, seals, and penguins are shown swimming by changing viewpoints.
While the Churaumi Aquarium is “fish-centered” with marine fishes and large migratory fishes, the Asahiyama Aquarium is dominated by seabirds and mammals, whose ecology and behavior are observed in three dimensions. The zoo implies a connection with the terrestrial ecosystem and promotes a comprehensive understanding not only of marine life but also of the environment in general.
Adventure World (Wakayama)
Feature: A comprehensive leisure park combining an aquarium, safari, and amusement park. Simultaneous exhibits of dolphins, killer whales, penguins, as well as pandas and other land animals.
Educational aspect: One-stop experience of diverse ecosystems allows visitors to experience the entire ecosystem where land and sea are organically connected.
While Churaumi Aquarium specializes in the ocean and pursues depth, Adventure World presents a broad range of ecosystems in a cross-sectional manner. Visitors can experience a sense of scale of biodiversity at once, and can capture their interest in the ocean in contrast to the terrestrial ecosystem.
Japanese aquariums are interesting.
Japanese aquariums communicate the marine world to visitors through a variety of approaches, including size, concept, education/research, and entertainment.
Among these, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium has followed a unique course that thoroughly explores the charms of the local sea, based on its three strengths of “regionalism,” “deep reproduction of ecosystems,” and “breeding and reproduction research.
On the other hand, Kaiyukan (Osaka) and Nagoya Port Aquarium emphasize “broad perspectives” such as the entire Pacific Ocean and global scale. Kamogawa Sea World (Chiba) offers “experiential education” through shows, Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (Kanagawa) offers “entertaining experiences” with an emphasis on leisure, and Shin-Enoshima Aquarium (Kanagawa) appeals for its “cutting-edge and specialized nature” through its latest research efforts and jellyfish displays.
These differences can be seen in the balance between research/education and entertainment. None of the pavilions is one-sided toward purely academic or entertainment facilities, but rather explores the middle ground in accordance with the needs of visitors and their role in society. Furthermore, by combining visits to zoos that deal with marine life, visitors can also gain a “whole ecosystem perspective,” a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystems of the sea and land.
Aquariums such as Churaumi Aquarium, Shin-Enoshima Aquarium, and Aquamarine Fukushima, which are rooted in regional characteristics, provide an opportunity to raise awareness of environmental conservation by introducing visitors to the unique ocean of their region. In addition, with new initiatives such as cutting-edge technology, participatory exhibits, and international research exchanges, the aquariums of the future will evolve into places for further learning and behavior change.
The presence of such a wide variety of aquariums and related facilities throughout Japan gives us the opportunity to visit and deepen our understanding of the ocean according to our own interests. As we visit facilities with different characteristics, we can learn about the marine environment from multiple perspectives and develop awareness and action toward a sustainable future.
The future shown by aquariums
- Scale of Exhibits vs. Ecosystem Reproduction:
Facilities that surprise with the world’s largest tanks and overwhelming scale (Georgia, Singapore, Dubai) coexist with “precision-type” facilities like Churaumi Aquarium and Shin-Enoshima Aquarium that delve deeply into specific regional ecosystems and accumulate breeding research results. - Balancing Education and Entertainment:
Kamogawa Sea World and Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, which emphasize shows and performances; Nagoya Port Aquarium and Shin-Enoshima Aquarium, which lean toward research and scholarship; and Churaumi Aquarium, which fuses local culture with an understanding of marine ecosystems. Diverse approaches respond to different visitor demographics and objectives. - Contributions to Research and Conservation:
Churaumi Aquarium has demonstrated its breeding techniques and research results to the world, including the successful breeding of the Southern Ocean Rays. Not only this, but aquariums in Japan and abroad are serving as a frontline base for marine ecosystem conservation through coral reef restoration, rare species protection, and environmental education programs. - Technological innovation and expansion of experience value:
In the future, aquariums will incorporate AR/VR technology, data visualization, projection mapping, and other technologies to transform themselves into “experience-based aquariums” where visitors actively explore the marine world. Aquariums around Japan are also taking on the challenge of “deepening and expanding learning” through these new technologies.
summary
Although Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is inferior to world-class aquariums in terms of size, it has a unique presence due to the depth of its ecosystem reproduction and breeding research. Each aquarium is unique, from the Georgia Aquarium’s large-scale shows and marine mammals, to the Singapore Aquarium’s understanding of diversity through geographic segmentation, to the Dubai Aquarium’s new tourism style through its commercial location. In Japan, Kaiyukan, Kamogawa Sea World, Nagoya Port Aquarium, Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, and Shin-Enoshima Aquarium are all taking different approaches to promoting understanding of the ocean.
This diversity is the strength and driving force behind the evolution of aquariums as cultural, educational, and recreational facilities. An aquarium is not simply a place to see beautiful fish, but a complex space where research, education, conservation, and recreation intersect. The Churaumi Aquarium, as one part of this complex, promotes understanding of the local ecosystem, studies breeding techniques, and continually provides intellectual stimulation to its visitors.
Visitors will have the opportunity to not only “see” but also “learn, feel, and act. By comparing diverse aquariums around the world and in Japan, and by being exposed to the intentions, research results, and conservation messages behind their exhibits, we can all develop a deeper understanding and sense of responsibility for the marine environment and the future of our planet.
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special feature article
Roadside Stations and Direct Selling Stations Special Feature!
Michi no Eki (Roadside Stations) and direct sales shops in Okinawa are very popular tourist attractions. Each has its own unique characteristics, making them 200% worth visiting! Please visit them!
Special feature on beaches on the main island of Okinawa!
The main island of Okinawa has many wonderful beaches that can only be found in the tropics. We will introduce each of them in an easy-to-understand manner, from the very secluded to the well-serviced executive beaches.
Typhoon Okinawa
We have compiled a list of points to keep in mind when a typhoon approaches so that you can respond without panic before or during your trip. We hope you will find it useful.
One of the best spots for lunch in Okinawa!
