Kagoshima City Aquarium (Io World)
An aquarium of 800 species from Kinko Bay to the Nansei Islands, whale shark included.
piggybackjapan.com
Kagoshima City Aquarium (Io World)
SaveAn aquarium of 800 species from Kinko Bay to the Nansei Islands, whale shark included.
Dolphins are also kept in the canal outside the aquarium building.
How was it with your kids?
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- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：with conditionsconditions
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Green = we confirmed it. Grey = not checked yet. Grey with a line through = the place does not have it.
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evidence & sources (9)
- Official: Diaper changing table, Diaper disposal bin, Family restroom
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Nursing space
- Official: main site
The aquarium holds 800 species and 10,000 animals from Kinko Bay out to the Nansei Islands, whale shark included. The Kuroshio tank is on the second floor, deep-sea Kagoshima on the third, sawfish and squid on the fourth. The first floor gathers the children's areas, along with the seal tank, the pirarucu tank and the dolphin pool. Sign language and subtitles are built into the screen commentary at Dolphin Time. The fifth-floor hall is for sitting down with an ice cream, shirokuma included.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Pushchairs are lent free — 13 of them, two types, no booking; ask staff as soon as you are in. They are for children of 2 and under (from 3 a wheelchair is lent instead) and may not leave the building. Wide cubicles that take a pushchair are in the men's and women's toilets as well as the multi-purpose ones. Twenty wheelchairs are also lent free | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes (13) | Free, 13 available, for children of 2 and under; no booking, ask staff on arrival | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (2) | Two private nursing rooms near the group entrance on the 1st floor of the main building, open to fathers too. They have a baby bed, a nursing chair, hot water for formula (about 70C), a sink, a microwave, an air purifier, a bin that also takes nappies, and a baby scale. Hot water for formula is also kept at the 1st-floor information desk and the 2nd-floor restaurant | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | A fold-down baby seat in every men's and women's toilet on floors 1 to 4 of the main building and in the Dolphin Hall women's toilet, plus a changing board in the women's toilets on floors 2 to 4 | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Yes | The nursing rooms have a bin that also takes used nappies | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes (4) | Multi-purpose toilets on floors 1 to 4 of the main building; the 1st-floor one has ostomate facilities. A baby keeper seat is fitted in the women's toilet on the 1st floor and in both men's and women's on floors 2 to 4, and washlet seats are standard. The Dolphin Hall and the outdoor toilets have no multi-purpose cubicle | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Yes | Child-height urinals throughout: three to six in each men's toilet on floors 1 to 4 of the main building, one in each women's toilet, and more in the Dolphin Hall and outdoor toilets | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | Eat your own food at the outdoor lawn or the indoor dolphin stand — but not at the stand during 'Dolphin Time' and other events, and not in the 5th-floor observation hall, which is for drinks and ice cream from the machines. Eating outside the designated places is against the aquarium's rules. The 2nd-floor restaurant opens 11:00-16:00 on weekdays and 11:00-17:00 at weekends and on holidays | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Two disabled parking bays on site by the group entrance; when full, a guard directs you to another space on site. There is no aquarium car park otherwise — the three prefectural car parks nearby are free for the first hour, then ¥200 an hour. From Kagoshima-Chuo Station take the tram (line 2) to Suizokukan-guchi, then walk 8 minutes. Coin lockers at both entrances take a ¥100 coin and give it back; anything too big is minded free at the information desk | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ioworld.jp |
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet |
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Kagoshima Aquarium: a recommended route, events and discounts
Three years on an annual pass: grab a seat 15 min before the dolphin show, then slip downstairs while the crowd exits.
growslowlyboys.com2024
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
The dolphin channel alone is worth it — Io World Kagoshima Aquarium
A channel outside the building: weekends 11:30, 13:30, 15:00, about 15 min; dolphins surface where the trainer moves.
4travel.jp2023
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
We went with the kids: the quiet corners of Kagoshima Aquarium, and the restaurant
With a 4- and 1-year-old: the restaurant empties during the dolphin show; high chairs have no belt; B2 stays quiet.
ameblo.jp2026
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Taking the children to Io World Kagoshima Aquarium
Off the tram at Suizokukan-guchi, straight to the sea, under 10 min. The dolphin show teaches by experiment, with a Q&A.
smilekodomo.com2025
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Family trip: the whale shark at Io World Kagoshima Aquarium
Golden Week with a 4- and 2-year-old: escalator straight to the whale shark; 1.5 hours with the dolphin channel. Busy.
29oldstartswiftprograming.com2025
Kagoshima City Aquarium (Io World) · Links & reads ▾
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Basics
- Fee：Adults (high school and up) ¥2,000, children (primary and junior-high) ¥1,000. Groups of 20 or more get a discount. Kagoshima city residents pay a lower rate but must show proof of address themselves. Admission is free for holders of a disability certificate, with one companion also free. People aged 70 and over living in Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Fukuoka or Kitakyushu pay half. There is no aquarium car park; the three prefectural car parks nearby are free for the first hour, then ¥200 an hour for a car■
- Hours：9:30-18:00, last admission 17:00. Closed for four days from the first Monday in December for maintenance; open as usual over New Year. During Golden Week, weekends in the summer holidays and Obon it stays open until 21:00 as the 'Night Aquarium'■
- Time needed：90 min
- Booking：An annual passport costs two admissions and covers a year; buying two or more at once for relatives within the third degree gets the family rate. Combined tickets with Hirakawa Zoological Park and the Chiran Peace Museum are also sold. Card and e-money are accepted for admission, but not for combined tickets. Re-entry is allowed on the same day if you keep your ticket stub■Official booking site ↗
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