In 2020, the number of tourists in Okinawa Prefecture decreased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of visitors has continued to increase, with the number of visitors reaching 3,784,132 in 2017 and the cumulative number of visitors reaching 50 million in 2019. The number of visitors in the year before the old aquarium closed was about 430,000, but the number of visitors in the year after the opening of the new building increased to 2.75 million.
The Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium was closed in August 2002 due to facility deterioration, and the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium was opened on 1 November 2002, with a new facility designed by Yukifusa Kokuba. In addition, since the facility was built for a short-term expo, it deteriorated significantly, and a plan to build a new aquarium was proposed. Īs the park lost incoming tourists, it was believed that a new aquarium would help revive the area and celebrate Okinawa's marine tradition. In 1988, the aquarium won the first Koga Award from JAZA in Japan for breeding two generations of whitetip reef sharks. At a symposium held in Baltimore in 1985, the Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium was rated to have the most advanced breeding technology in the world for long-term rearing. The Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium is one of the first public aquariums in the world that breeds large sharks and rays such as whale sharks and manta rays. At that time, the largest main tank in the aquarium had a water volume of 1,100,000 litres (291,000 US gal), which was the largest in the world. The Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium and the Okichan Theater started operations with the facilities used at the Expo. In 1976, the Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium was established as a national park on the site of the venue. Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium(the predecessor of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium) Okichan TheaterĮxpo '75 was held in Okinawa, Japan, at the Ocean Expo Park, where an aquarium centered on marine life was displayed. Churaumi was selected as the name of the aquarium by public vote amongst Japanese people: chura means "beautiful" or "graceful" in the Okinawan language, and umi means "ocean" in Japanese. The aquarium has the exhibit, “Encounter the Okinawan Sea”, which reproduces the sea of Okinawa and most of the creatures that live in it. It is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA), and was the largest aquarium in the world until it was surpassed by the Georgia Aquarium in 2005. The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium ( 沖縄美ら海水族館, Okinawa Churaumi Suizokukan), formerly known as the Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium, is located within the Ocean Expo Park in Okinawa, Japan.
As the expressway ends, continue on route 58/71, and trace the coast line along route 449. The Yanbaru Express also departs from the airport (2.5 hours).īy car: from Naha and the southern part of the island, take the E58 expressway (toll road) to Nago. Alternatively, from “ Naha Prefectural Office” you can take the Okinawa Airport Shuttle bus, or the Yanbaru Express bus. Alternatively, the Naha-Airport Limousine Bus can also be used.īus bus from Naha: from Naha Bus Terminal, take bus 117 to the stop “ Kinen Koen mae” (2 hours 10 minutes). Okinawa Motobu Guest House ☆ (backpackers choice)īy bus from Nago: from Nago Bus Terminal, take bus 65, 66, 70 or 117 to the stop “ Ishikawa Iriguchi “. Planning your visit HoursĬlosed 1st wednesday and thursday of December There is also a shark research center, where you can learn more about sharks, and observe the large tank which is home to numerous species of sharks, like tiger sharks and bull sharks. Unusual forms of life can be found here, including Bioluminescent organisms such as the splitfin flashlightfish, the pineconefish and luminescent jellyfish. Other tanks of special interest are the deep sea tanks, dedicated to the special creatures which live at the oceans most extreme depths. This tank gives a unique look into the life of a coral reef, the first place in the world where this has been done on a larger scale.
Among Churaumi’s 77 tanks is the beautiful coral tank containing 80 types of living corals.
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