Price: 600 Yen each

We have our breakfast at Menya Kuramasa, a restaurant specializing in ramen. The price is pretty cheap but delicious. We had soy sauce flavored ramen which comes with two slices of Chashu, dried seaweed and bamboo shoots and scallions.



Next to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, you will find a giant ferris wheel. Standing at 112.5 tall and 100 m in diameter, it is one of the largest ferris wheels in the world. It has 60 glass-walled gondolas and takes about 15 minutes to complete a ride. A ride on the ferris wheel will give you a panoramic view over Osaka Bay.


Located close by Osaka Bay, the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is one of the largest aquariums in the world, featuring over 30,000 marine life and 620 species.


The normal operating hour is 10.00 am to 8.00 pm but may vary by season. Please check out the opening hour on their website before visiting.

Ticket Price
Aged Over 16	2,300 Yen
Aged Over 60	2,000 Yen
Aged 7 to 15	1,200 Yen
Aged 4 to 6	600 Yen
Children Under 3	FREE

The admission fee is as above. Various package ticket are available as well. Please refer to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan website for more details.


The aquarium has 27 different tanks in 16 main exhibit areas, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim, also known as the Ring of Fire area of the Pacific ocean. This is where many earthquakes and volcano eruptions occur.

The walk-through aquarium is easy to navigate around the aquarium as there is only one route takes you through all the areas. You will basically start from the top at the eighth floor and gradually make your way down through the exhibits in a circular motion via a spiral ramp. This will makes you feel as though you were going deep down into the ocean.

Aqua Gate

You will begin your journey through the Pacific Ocean from Aqua Gate, an transparent glass tunnel where you can enjoy a spectacular walk underwater.

Japan Forest

Passing through the Aqua Gate, you will be greeted by lush greenery and waterfalls. Just as its name suggests, this exhibit area recreates a Japanese forest, complete with creatures that live near river such as otters, crabs, Japanese giant salamander and river fish.

Aleutian Island

Next, you will walk into the cold and harsh environment of the Aleutian Islands, which is home to the Tufted Puffin, a medium sized Pelagic seabird.

Monterey Bay

Arriving at the cliff of California's coastline, you will get the chance to observe Largha Seals and California Sea Lions on both land and sea. Spanning from the 7th floor to 5th floor, the Monterey Bay tank is long so the animals can swim freely up and down. And they certainly can swim really fast!

Ecuadorian Rainforest Area

The Ecuadorian Rainforest Area is a South America tropical rain forest located directly on the equator. Here you will find the Capybara, the largest living rodent in the world, Iguana and a variety of Amazon river fish like the Arapaima and Red Piranha. We did not managed to take a closer look at the Capybara but from afar, it looks like a guinea pig. So adorable!

Gulf of Panama
The disappearing rainforest of Panama is home to Ring tailed Coati, long spine Porcupine fish and Bigeyed Solderfish.

Antarctica

Waiting for you at the ice shrouded Antarctica were several different species of penguins including King penguins, Gentoo penguins and Adelie penguins. You will enjoy watching the penguins frolicking on ice before sliding into the icy ocean water for a swim.

Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is situated between Australia and New Zealand. In this exhibit, you will get the chance to see the Pacific White Sided Dolphins swimming and playing happily in the water.
Pacific Ocean

The huge central Pacific Ocean tank is the main highlight of the aquarium. It is nine metres deep and 34 metres long, containing 5,400 tons of water. There is a spinal ramp that goes around the central Pacific Ocean tank, all the way from the 6th floor to 4th floor.

The Pacific Ocean tank is home to two enormous whale sharks, eagle rays, sharks and a variety of fish. In total, there are about 1,500 creatures of about 60 species in this tank. But the rare gigantic whale sharks are undoubtedly the star attraction of the Pacific Ocean tank. It is certainly amazing to watch these majestic giants slowly and gracefully move through the water!


As the tank stretch over several floors, you will be able to see the animals from various angles - from the front, below or above. You will definitely enjoy observing the marine life from different depth and perspective. It feels just like you are standing right inside the middle of the ocean, surrounded by many sea creatures.

Around the dome shaped tanks, you will also find plenty of seats where you can sit and admire the Pacific ocean.

Seto Inland Sea

The Seto Inland Sea lies between the Japanese main island of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. It is known for its thriving agricultural industry in Japan. You will find sea creatures like octopus, spiny lobster and red seabream here.

Coast of Chile

At the Coast of Chile, you will find an enormous schools of sardines gathering and swimming in spinal pattern.

Cook Straits

Sitting between the North and South islands of New Zealand, the Cook Straits is home to the loggerhead sea turtles, porcupine fish and scarlet wrasse.

Japan Deep

Living at 200 - 400 metres in depth beneath the Sea of Japan, the Japanese spider crabs are the largest variety in the world. Looking at these crabs just made me feel hungry!

Jelly fish

Leaving the Japan Deep, you will enter a room that is completely dark and primarily light up by jellyfish. Pretty amazing!

New Interactive Area

The New Interactive Area allows visitors to see and possibly touch animals up close. It consists of 3 zones - the Arctic Zone, the Falkland Zone and the Maldives Zone. The Arctic Zone will provide you a fascinating encounter with the ringed seals playing amongst the ice in the pool. You will even get to see their restful sleep up close!


At the Falkland Zone, you will get the chance to see rock hopper penguins play and hop off the rocks up close, almost within arm's reach.

The Maldives Zone is one of the largest touch pools in Japan. This is where you can touch and feel the sharks and rays with your bare hands. Remember to wash your hands at the nearby sinks afterwards.

Right behind the Maldives Zone, you will find a small area with several smaller tanks where various smaller creatures are kept.


Overall, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is a great place to spend half a day with family and friends. The aquarium is well organized and will provide you a glimpse of the life deep within the Pacific Ocean. It takes us about 4 hours to see everything in the expansive tanks, including taking photos.


It was already way past noon when we left the aquarium and we were starving. So, we decided to have a quick lunch at KFC in Tempozan Marketplace.


Price: 690 Yen / set

We ordered the chicken fillet burger set, which comes with Kernel ring potatoes (not sure what it is called) and a drink of your choice. The burger was delicious and it just taste so different from what we have in Malaysia. The meat is very tender, juicy and so much less greasy.

Kernel ring potatoes is really good as well. The  potatoes are cut in twisted form and each piece of it is thick but crispy.


Oh, by the way, all their chicken are 100% Japanese, so it will definitely be good!

After lunch, we took the train back to Namba Station and headed to OCAT where we took the airport limousine bus to Itami Airport. At Itami Airport, we checked into Osaka Air Terminal Hotel and took a short rest before going out for dinner.


Price: 1,650 Yen / set

We had our dinner at a restaurant named Ganko at Itami Airport. The restaurant offers a variety of set meals, as well as Sushi and various items. We ordered their Tempura Zaru Soba set. I love the Tempura! They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But most importantly, non greasy at all!

After dinner, we did some souvenirs shopping at Itami Airport and went back to our room to pack. We tried to get to bed early but could not fall asleep. After spending 8 amazing day in Japan, we simply do not want to return home.

We woke up at 5.30 am the next morning and made our way to the JAL check in counters at 6 am. But we were way too early because the counters does not open until 6.30 am. Even so, it was better to be early than late. The queues at the check in counters was very long, so make sure you get there enough.

With a heavy heart, we boarded the plane home. Thank you Japan for being so amazing! We will definitely come back again!

If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 9D8N Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka Trip Itinerary + Overview for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 9 days in Japan. For anyone planning your first trip to Japan but have no idea where to start, you should read my "How To Plan A Trip To Japan" post.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on my 9 days adventures in Japan! You might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.