Oarai Aquarium is a 19800 square metres (213,125.4 sq ft) aquarium

Public aquarium

A public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...

 in the Higashiibaraki District of Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, North of Oarai port at the mouth of the Naka River. Many varieties of sea species, especially fish, can be found in Aqua World. The fee for entry varies according to the age group.

Exhibits

The aquarium contains 60 tanks, with a total tank volume of 4100 cubic metre. The largest tank contains 20,000 individuals of about 80 species. The shark tank contains 2 species of sharks, and includes tunnel which lets visitors walk under the fish. The 270 cubic metre sunfish tank contains 8 individual ocean sunfish

Ocean sunfish

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of . The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally...

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Marine mammals at the aquarium include sea otter

Sea Otter

The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals...

s, California sea lions

California Sea Lion

The California sea lion is a coastal sea lion of western North America. Their numbers are abundant , and the population continues to expand about 5% annually. They are quite intelligent and can adapt to man-made environments...

, and spotted seal

Spotted Seal

The spotted seal , also known as the larga or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas...

s. Sea birds are represented by Humboldt penguins

Humboldt Penguin

The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...

 and tufted puffins

Tufted Puffin

The Tufted Puffin also known as Crested Puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family found throughout the North Pacific Ocean....

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Museum

The third floor contain the Sea Life Museum and the Ocean Information Plaza. Hands-on exhibits in these areas let visitors learn about the anatomy an behavior of fish and other sea life. The exhibit contains sections on seaweed, plankton, and sharks, as well as a display where visitors can hear the calls of all 18 penguin species.

Shows

The Ocean Theater has dolphin and whale shows, as well as an underwater viewing area.