---
name: "Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan"
lat: 34.654518
lng: 135.428964
official_url: "https://www.kaiyukan.com/"
fee: "Prices change by the date. The aquarium runs demand-based pricing and publishes a price calendar; there are only four bands of visitor — adult (high-school age or 16 and over), child (elementary and junior-high), young child (3 and over) and age 2 and under, who go free. On the twelve months of the official calendar readable on 11 August 2026, published days ranged ¥2,800-3,500 for adults, ¥1,400-1,800 for children and ¥700-900 for young children. A child counts as 'young child' until the 1 April of the school year they start elementary school, and as 'child' until the 1 April of the year they finish junior high. Holders of a Japanese disability certificate and one carer each pay half price, shown at the ticket window. There is no annual passport and no senior discount"
last_verified: "2026-08-11"
---

# Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

This Osaka aquarium is arranged as a journey around the Pacific Rim, region by region, from a Japanese forest to the Arctic. An escalator lifts you to the top floor and the route spirals down from there. Its huge Pacific tank comes back at every level, so you see the whale shark from the surface first and from the deep last. There are no dolphin or sea lion shows; the aquarium says it wants its animals seen closer to how they live in the wild.

- Area: osaka_bay
- Type: sightseeing
- Average stay: 120 min
- Hours: Opening and closing times change from day to day; the official calendar carries each date. Across the dates published for August and September 2026 the aquarium opened between 8:00 and 10:30 and closed between 20:00 and 21:00. The entrance gate stops admitting people one hour before closing, and that is the last entry — once you are inside you can stay until closing whatever time your ticket says. You may also walk the route a second time from the start, but not after that same last-entry hour has passed, even if you are already inside. From 17:00 the lighting switches to the 'Kaiyukan at night' setting. The aquarium closes for two days each January; the official calendar marks 13 and 14 January 2027. Children under 16 on their own are asked to leave by 19:00, with last entry at 18:00, under the Osaka prefectural ordinance
- Last verified: 2026-08-11

## Family facts (value + conditions + source + verified date)

| Feature | Value | Conditions | Verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller friendly | Yes | You can push a stroller through: most of the building is gentle ramps. A few links are stairs or escalators, and staff take you round by lift — tell the nearest member of staff. The official accessibility map marks four places to speak up, including just past the Aqua Gate and at the back of the Japan Forest on 8F. Only strollers of the specified shape may be brought in, and the official rules PDF sets the shape: 85 cm or less wide, pushed from behind, unable to move on their own, with a tyre lock and a fall-prevention belt. The aquarium recommends leaving the stroller and walking so that children can get close to the tanks. There is a stroller area outside by the entrance (left of the ticket windows) and none inside; the aquarium takes no responsibility for damage, loss or theft there | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Changing tables are in restrooms all around the aquarium, which the official page describes as private cubicles you can use together with a baby. The Baby Care Room on Entrance Building 2F has a changing bed, and the one in Tempozan Marketplace 3F next door has a changing mat. Note that the small nursing room behind the Aqua Gate tank cannot be used for changing | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Nursing space | Yes | The Baby Care Room on Entrance Building 2F has a nursing room, a kids' toilet, a changing bed and a bottle warmer, and there is a private nursing cubicle behind the Aqua Gate tank (no hot water there, and no changing). The official accessibility floor map also marks a nursing-room icon on 6F inside the aquarium. Next door, the Baby Care Room in Tempozan Marketplace 3F has nursing booths, a changing mat, a bottle warmer and a family zone. Feeding a baby anywhere other than a nursing room is not allowed | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Indoor / outdoor | 屋内 | Indoors. Asked whether rain is a problem, the official FAQ answers that this is an indoor facility so rain does not affect the visit — but adds that depending on which car park you use, you may need an umbrella to reach the entrance | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/faq/) |
| Family restroom | Yes | Barrier-free restrooms are on Entrance Building 2F, before the gate, and on 6F inside. The FAQ adds that wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located throughout the aquarium, the entrance building and Tempozan Marketplace, and the aquarium says its restrooms are private cubicles you can use together with a baby | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/barrierfree/) |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| English support | 英語メニュー・表示 | An audio guide rents for ¥800 including tax and speaks Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, French and Thai — 33 entries, about 40 minutes in total. Buy it at the ticket window or the service counter and collect it at the service counter on Entrance Building 3F; it comes with earphones using a 3.5 mm jack. The official website itself runs in six languages. Whether the signs inside the aquarium carry English is not stated on the official site | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/program/guide/) |
| Outside food allowed | No | Eating along the viewing route is not allowed; meals are for cafe R.O.F on 4F inside. What you may bring in and consume is drinks in lidded containers that will not spill if knocked over — a flask or a plastic bottle — and baby food, as long as you sit on a bench rather than eat while walking and do not block other people's view. Open cups and tumblers are not allowed in, nor is alcohol, and drinking alcohol inside is refused. Feeding a baby is only allowed in a nursing room | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/faq/) |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Yes | A kids' toilet is part of the Baby Care Room on Entrance Building 2F, which is before the entrance gate — worth using on the way in, since you cannot come back out and in again | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Elevator | Yes | Lifts exist but are not on the public route everywhere — staff take you to them where needed. The official accessibility map marks four points: just past the Aqua Gate, where an escalator goes up; at the back of the Japan Forest on 8F, at the door to the right of the stairs; after you have seen as far as the 4F escalator, by going back to cafe R.O.F; and from 3F up to the 4F Arctic tank, where you can ride the lift yourself | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/barrierfree/) |
| Stroller rental | No | Asked whether strollers can be borrowed, the official FAQ answers that there is no such loan service. Wheelchairs are a different matter: those are lent free of charge at the information desk beside the ticket windows and at the service counter on Entrance Building 3F, in limited numbers | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/faq/) |
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Steps & slope caution | バリアフリー | Most of the building is ramp, which is why wheels work here at all — the aquarium says almost all of the interior is sloped, that wheelchair users can enjoy it, and that staff will show you to a lift where needed, so please be assured. Two things to translate for yourself: a few links between floors are stairs or escalators, so you will be waiting for a staff escort at those points, and wheels wider than 85 cm are outside the shape the aquarium allows in. The viewing corridors have marked priority spots called omoiyari zones | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/barrierfree/) |
| Nursing rooms | Yes | A nursing room inside the Baby Care Room on Entrance Building 2F, and a private nursing cubicle behind the Aqua Gate tank. The official accessibility floor map also marks one on 6F | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Diaper changing tables | Yes | In restrooms throughout the aquarium, plus a changing bed in the Baby Care Room on Entrance Building 2F | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Hot water for formula | Yes | Bottle warmers are in the Baby Care Room on Entrance Building 2F and in the one at Tempozan Marketplace 3F next door. The small nursing cubicle behind the Aqua Gate tank has no hot water | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Fathers welcome | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Microwave | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Room privacy | Yes | The nursing space behind the Aqua Gate tank is described as a private room. The Baby Care Room at Tempozan Marketplace 3F has nursing booths and a family zone that a whole family can use | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/nursing/) |
| Lost-child support | Yes | The information desk beside the ticket windows takes lost-child reports, along with lost property. There is no paging over a public-address system — the aquarium says it does not do that, and asks you to phone the information line on 06-6576-5501 if you cannot find a member of staff nearby and it is urgent | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/assets/pdf/info/area/barrierfree/barrierfree_information.pdf) |
| Crowding (guide) | Yes | The aquarium publishes its own crowding advice rather than a chart. Entry is metered in 15-minute slots, so buying at the window on the day can mean a long wait, especially on weekends, public holidays and school holidays. Weekdays are quieter, except that school groups fill the mornings in early February to early March, mid-April to end of May outside Golden Week, and October to early December — the aquarium suggests arriving in the afternoon then. Inside, the corner where the Pacific tank first comes into view is where people stop; the same tank comes back several times further on, and there are benches along the route to sit out a crowd | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/about/advanced/) |
| Stroller access notes | Yes | Two things to settle before the gate. First, the stroller: the parking area is outside, by the entrance and to the left of the ticket windows, and there is none inside, so decide there whether you are pushing or carrying. Second, luggage: since 24 April 2026, suitcases, pet carts, carts and any bag whose three sides add up to 120 cm or more, or with any side over 70 cm, cannot be brought inside — leave them at your hotel or in a coin locker. There are lockers by the aquarium entrance, in Kaiyukan Hall, near the museum shop and elsewhere in Tempozan; the ones inside the paid area are ¥400 size only. Umbrellas 120 cm or longer are also refused | 2026-08-11 (web) | [source](https://www.kaiyukan.com/info/area/prohibition/) |
| Official family-friendly certification | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Quietness (guide) | Not checked yet |  |  |  |