Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
An aquarium that follows the Okinawan sea from the shore down to 700 meters.
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Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
SaveAn aquarium that follows the Okinawan sea from the shore down to 700 meters.
Whale sharks and manta rays swim in the 7,500-cubic-meter main tank, and seats face it head-on.
MoreWhat kind of place
Motobu hosted the Okinawa International Ocean Expo in 1975, and the year after, the site became Ocean Expo Park, run by the national government. The aquarium is the part of the park given over to the sea.
The first aquarium closed in August 2002 as the building aged, and the one standing now opened that November, with four floors, 83 tanks and about 10,000 cubic meters of water (2.6 million gallons).
The exhibits are arranged by depth, so you walk from the shoreline out through the Kuroshio current and down to about 700 meters (2,300 feet).
The name came from a public call for suggestions that drew 13,897 entries, and chura is the Okinawan word for beautiful.
Sources and evidence (17)
- A free audio guide plays on your own smartphone, and the building has free Wi-Fi.source
- There is no smoking area inside the building; the nearest one is outside Churaumi Plaza.source
- Inside the aquarium there is a cafe (Ocean Blue), and on the fourth floor a restaurant (Inoh) that can be used without buying admission.source
- The 1975 Okinawa International Ocean Expo was held in Motobu, and in 1976 the site became Ocean Expo Park, run by the national government; the aquarium began as the part of it devoted to the sea.source
- The first aquarium closed in August 2002 as the building aged, and the second opened that November as the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, registered as a museum.source
- Chura in the name is the Okinawan word for beautiful or clean.source
- The name Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium was chosen ahead of the reopening out of 13,897 entries sent in from around the country.source
- The exhibits recreate the sea around Okinawa from the surface down to about 700 meters (2,300 feet), with the route running from the shore to the open sea, the Kuroshio current, and then the deep.source
- The reinforced concrete building has four floors, 83 display tanks, and about 10,000 cubic meters of water (2.6 million gallons), of which the largest tank (Kuroshio Sea) holds 7,500.source
- Seawater is drawn from 300 meters (1,000 feet) offshore, from a depth of 20 meters (65 feet), at up to 3,000 cubic meters an hour.source
- The main tank (Kuroshio Sea) holds 7,500 cubic meters (about 2 million gallons), and besides the giant acrylic panel at the front you can see into it from several other sides, with seats set out to face it.source
- The Aqua Room has an acrylic ceiling, so you can sit and watch the fish swim overhead.source
- The viewing window at the theater (Churaumi Theater) opens onto the middle depth of the main tank (Kuroshio Sea), a different angle from the head-on view.source
- The cafe (Ocean Blue) faces the main tank (Kuroshio Sea), where whale sharks and manta rays swim past.source
- Kuroshio Explorer, a walkway over the top of the main tank, lets you look down into it from the surface; it started running again on July 1, 2026.source
- The Shark Researcher's Room goes into detail on how sharks live.source
- At the whale shark and manta area, panels and video cover the latest on whale sharks and mantas, including the aquarium's own research.source
With kidsThe part that matters
The aquarium is about two hours by car from Naha Airport, so plan it as the main stop of your day.
The main tank is fronted by a giant acrylic panel with seats facing it, so kids can sit still and watch whale sharks and manta rays pass.
You can push a stroller the whole way: there are no steps inside, and ramps run throughout.
Plan an hour and a half to two hours inside, and your ticket lets you step out for the dolphin show and come back in the same day.
Sources and evidence (5)
- With children of 8 and 5: parked at P7 at 9:20, five minutes to the door, dolphin show at 10:30, out in about an hour.source
- A second family visit: the elevator queues badly at peak times, the nursing room sits near the middle of the building.source
- Five places tried with a 15-month-old, marked by whether they have belted high chairs or tatami with child seats.source
- Three visits, two with children: inside is air-conditioned, but the manatee pool and dolphin show have no shade.source
- A local parent's repeat visits: busiest 11am-3pm, quiet 8:30-10am, P7 is the covered parking lot nearest the door.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1In the Aqua Room the ceiling is an acrylic panel, so you can sit down and watch the fish swim past overhead. The building has no steps and ramps throughout, so the whole route works with the stroller.There are two nursing rooms, at the aquarium entrance on the 3rd floor and in front of the Churaumi Theater on the 2nd, each with a sofa and a hot water dispenser for making up formula; formula itself is not stocked, so bring your own. Diaper changing tables are on the 4th floor (men's and women's), at the 3rd-floor aquarium entrance and Coral Lobby (men's and women's), in front of the Churaumi Theater on the 2nd (women's), and at the whale shark and manta corner and the exit on the 1st (men's and women's). Disposable diapers are sold at the register of the aquarium shop Blue Manta, in size L only, for 9 to 14 kg. Strollers are lent free at four places in Ocean Expo Park, with no reservations, first come first served on the day and limited numbers; the one near the aquarium is on the 1st floor of the North Gate parking building, P7. The aquarium asks you to allow extra time, as the parking lots are some distance away.
- Ages 2-3The Kuroshio Sea main tank has its own seating set out facing the glass head-on. Tired legs can stop there and still watch the whale sharks and oceanic manta rays go by. Cafe Ocean Blue looks onto the same tank, so a snack break does not mean leaving the view.There are no steps inside, and an elevator links the 1st, 3rd and 4th floors alongside the ramps, so the stroller can stay with you. You may re-enter the same day by showing your ticket at the entrance, which makes stepping outside for air and coming back easy. The aquarium's own average visit is 1.5 to 2 hours, and that does not include the Okichan Theater, Dolphin Lagoon, Sea Turtle Pool or Manatee Pool.
- Ages 4-6The displays are arranged by depth, so the route works down from the shore to the offshore water, the Kuroshio current and finally the deep sea around 700 meters. You can compare the same Kuroshio Sea tank from three heights: the huge acrylic panel at the front, the viewing window partway up the tank in the Churaumi Theater, and the Kuroshio Exploration course that looks down on it from the surface. The Shark Researcher's Room goes into how sharks live.The Kuroshio Exploration above-water viewing course reopened on 1 July 2026. A smartphone audio guide is free to use and the building has free Wi-Fi. Admission is free for children under 6 and 710 yen for elementary and junior high students. Normal hours are 8:30 to 18:30 with last entry at 17:30, and from 1 to 31 August 2026 the aquarium stays open until 21:00 with last entry at 20:00.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe aquarium is a four-story reinforced concrete building, and inside it has slopes throughout so you can go around with a stroller. The walk from the parking lot is long enough that the aquarium asks visitors to allow extra time. Its average visit of 1.5 to 2 hours does not include Okichan Theater, the Dolphin Lagoon, the Sea Turtle Pool, or the Manatee Pool.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed55 min–2 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：yes
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
With children of 8 and 5: parked at P7 at 9:20, five minutes to the door, dolphin show at 10:30, out in about an hour.
Okinawa with an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old, day 2: Churaumi Aquarium and the Bise fukugi lanes
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A second family visit: the elevator queues badly at peak times, the nursing room sits near the middle of the building.
Okinawa with kids, part 4: whale sharks at Churaumi, plus feeding the dolphins and sea turtles
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Five places tried with a 15-month-old, marked by whether they have belted high chairs or tatami with child seats.
Near Churaumi Aquarium: five places that worked with a one-year-old, on Sesoko Island and in Motobu
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Three visits, two with children: inside is air-conditioned, but the manatee pool and dolphin show have no shade.
Churaumi Aquarium with children: how to plan around the midsummer heat
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A local parent's repeat visits: busiest 11am-3pm, quiet 8:30-10am, P7 is the covered parking lot nearest the door.
Beating the summer crowds at Churaumi Aquarium: four rules from an Okinawa local
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium · Links & reads ▾
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Where it is
424 Ishikawa, Motobu-cho, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa Prefecture 905-0206source2
Before you go
- You can borrow a wheelchair for free at the rental counter on the first floor of the P7 parking garage, out by the park's north gate rather than inside the aquarium. They go first-come, and the number is limited.source
- The free stroller rentals cannot be reserved: ask a staff member on the day, first-come, with a limited number available.source
- Admission tickets are sold at the aquarium ticket window and online through the booking site Asoview, while group rates and annual passes are sold only at the window.source
Basics
- Fee：Adults ¥2,180; high school students ¥1,440; elementary and junior-high students ¥710; under-6s free (tax included). Annual passports are ¥4,360 / ¥2,880 / ¥1,420. Admission is free for holders of a disability certificate (any grade) and one accompanying person. Re-entry is possible on the same day if you show your ticket. All nine park parking lots are freesource
- Hours：8:30-18:30 (last admission 17:30). Extended in peak seasons — 8:30-21:00 (last admission 20:00) from 1 to 31 August 2026. No closing days are planned up to 31 March 2027, apart from emergency closures for typhoons; the aquarium is also open over the New Year. It is a walk from the parking lots, so allow extra timesource
- Time to allow：55 min–2 hsource2
- Booking：Tickets are sold at the aquarium ticket counter and online (Asoview). Group tickets and annual passports are sold at the counter onlysourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (35)
Getting there
- The building is laid out without steps, and it is certified by the Japan Tourism Agency under its accessibility program for tourist facilities.source
- The aquarium lists its step-free interior as one of its accessibility measures.source
- An elevator connects the first, third, and fourth floors, so you can get around the building in a wheelchair.source
- There are accessible restrooms in the main areas of the aquarium, marked with the wheelchair symbol.source
- The aquarium counts its accessible restrooms and nursing rooms among its barrier-free measures.source
- Accessible restrooms are also spread around Ocean Expo Park outside the aquarium.source
- The restaurant (Inoh) has enlarged tables, so you can eat without leaving your wheelchair.source
- A ramp runs inside the theater room (Churaumi Theater), whose viewing window looks into the big tank (Kuroshio Sea).source
- Assistance dogs, meaning guide, hearing, and service dogs, can come in with you.source
- The seven parking lots in Ocean Expo Park hold 89 accessible parking spaces in total.source
- Ocean Expo Park lends strollers free at its gates and at some of its facilities.source
- The four pickup points for strollers are the first floor of the north gate parking garage (P7), the main information desk (Haisai Plaza), the Tropical Dream Center, and the guard box at the south gate.source
- Ramps run throughout the aquarium, so you can keep the stroller with you the whole way.source
- Diaper changing tables are in the men's and women's restrooms, though not in every one.source
- The changing tables are on the fourth floor (both), at the third-floor aquarium entrance and Coral Lobby (both), outside the theater on the second floor (women's), and at the first-floor whale shark and manta area and the exit (both).source
- There are two nursing rooms, one at the aquarium entrance on the third floor and one outside the theater on the second floor.source
- The nursing rooms have a sofa and a hot water dispenser you can use to mix formula.source
- Formula is not kept there, so bring your own.source
- Disposable diapers are sold at the register of the aquarium shop (Blue Manta), in size L only, for children of 9 to 14 kg (20 to 31 pounds).source
- All nine parking lots at Ocean Expo Park are free.source
- Wheelchairs are not lent at the aquarium itself, but at the rental counter in the P7 parking garage nearby.source
- From Naha Airport it is about two hours by car using the expressway, or about three hours by highway bus.source
- The aquarium notes that the parking lots are a walk from the building, so leave extra time.source
Time to allow
- The average time for the aquarium itself is an hour and a half to two hours, not counting the dolphin theater (Okichan Theater), Dolphin Lagoon, the sea turtle pool, or the manatee pool.source
Fees
- General admission is 2,180 yen for adults, tax included.source
- High school students pay 1,440 yen, tax included.source
- Elementary and junior high school students pay 710 yen, tax included.source
- Children under 6 get in free.source
- An annual pass is 4,360 yen for adults, 2,880 yen for high school students, and 1,420 yen for elementary and junior high school students.source
- Admission is free for people who hold a Japanese disability certificate, physical, intellectual, or mental, including the certificate app, and free for one companion.source
Other
- You can leave and come back the same day; show your ticket at the entrance when you return.source
Hours and closures
- Regular hours are 8:30 to 18:30, with last entry at 17:30.source
- From August 1 to August 31, 2026, night hours run 8:30 to 21:00, with last entry at 20:00.source
- No closing days are scheduled through March 31, 2027, apart from unplanned closures for typhoons and the like.source
- The aquarium stays open over the New Year period, on the 8:30 to 18:30 schedule.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (9)
- Official: Family restroom, Elevator, English support
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Nursing space
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: main site
Built on the grounds of the 1975 Ocean Expo, this aquarium is laid out as a descent through the sea around Okinawa. The route starts at the shoreline, moves offshore into the Kuroshio current, and ends near 700 meters down. Its 83 tanks hold about 10,000 cubic meters of water. Whale sharks and manta rays swim in the largest of them. In the Aqua Room the ceiling is acrylic, so the fish pass overhead. There are no steps inside.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | The aquarium is fitted throughout with ramps, so you can go round with a stroller. Strollers are lent free at four points in Ocean Expo Park — the North Gate parking lot (P7 multi-story) 1F, the Haisai Plaza information center, the Tropical Dream Center and the South Gate security box. No reservations: ask staff on the day, first come first served while numbers last | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa | |
| Nursing space | Yes (2) | Two nursing rooms — at the aquarium entrance (3F) and in front of the Churaumi Theater (2F). Each has a sofa and a water heater for making up formula. Formula itself is not supplied, so bring your own | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Baby seats (changing tables) are fitted in both men's and women's toilets, though not everywhere: 4F floor (M/W), 3F aquarium entrance and Coral Lobby (M/W), 2F in front of the Churaumi Theater (women's only), 1F Whale Shark & Manta corner and the exit (M/W). Diapers are sold at the aquarium shop Blue Manta, size L only (for 9-14kg) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| Family restroom | Yes | Barrier-free multi-purpose toilets are placed in the main areas of the aquarium, marked with the wheelchair symbol, and there are more around Ocean Expo Park. Please take medical waste home with you | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| Elevator | Yes | An elevator connects floors 1, 3 and 4, and the whole building can be crossed by wheelchair — the official line is that the interior has no steps | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | The aquarium is a four-story reinforced-concrete building, all indoors. The neighboring Okichan Theater, Dolphin Lagoon, Sea Turtle Pool and Manatee Pool are outdoors in Ocean Expo Park and are separate from the aquarium | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| English support | English menu & signs | The official site runs in English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese and Korean, and the free smartphone audio guide covers the tanks. The aquarium lists multilingual guidance among its barrier-free measures | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Yes | Certified under the Japan Tourism Agency's 'Barrier-free Mindset at Tourist Facilities' scheme, which looks at staff service and information as well as the building itself | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | churaumi.okinawa |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet |
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