Marine World Uminonakamichi
An aquarium of Kyushu's own seas, from the deep to a seven-meter open-ocean tank.
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Marine World Uminonakamichi
SaveAn aquarium of Kyushu's own seas, from the deep to a seven-meter open-ocean tank.
The show pool backs onto Hakata Bay, with the sea lion stage right in front of the seats.
MoreWhat kind of place
The aquarium is in Fukuoka, on Kyushu, Japan's southwestern main island, and it is laid out as a tour of the seas around that island, from deep water out to the open ocean.
The biggest tank recreates the warm sea off southern Kyushu, where the Kuroshio current runs. Seven meters (23 feet) deep, it runs through two floors, so you look into it from the first floor and again from the second.
One exhibit is about the finless porpoise, a small dolphin that lives in the sea off northern Kyushu, the same stretch of coast the aquarium sits on.
Sources and evidence (17)
- There is one nursing room in the building, and hot water for formula is provided there.source
- Coin lockers cost 300 yen for a medium, 400 yen for a large, and 500 yen for an extra large.source
- Parking costs 600 yen for a car, 1,600 yen for a large vehicle, and 300 yen for a motorcycle.source
- The parking lot has 388 spaces for cars, 14 for large vehicles, 8 for visitors with disabilities, and 20 for motorcycles.source
- The open-ocean tank recreates the warm sea off southern Kyushu, where the Kuroshio current runs. It is seven meters (23 feet) deep and runs through the first and second floors, so you look into it from both.source
- An open-air area on the first floor lets you watch the animals from different angles and touch some of them.source
- A first-floor exhibit on the dolphins of Fukuoka shows the finless porpoise, a small dolphin that also lives in the waters of northern Kyushu.source
- The show pool is built with Hakata Bay behind it for an open view, and a new sea lion stage stands right in front of the seats.source
- On the third floor, the East China Sea, the Pacific, the Sea of Japan, and the Seto Inland Sea are recreated in tanks, each keeping the character of its own region.source
- Also on the third floor, a space follows water from rain on the mountains through rivers to the sea, with the life and habitats it supports along the way.source
- The second floor also has areas for the jellyfish of Kyushu, the sea and forest of Amami, and the water birds of Kyushu.source
- The deep-sea area on the first floor holds creatures that evolved for the harsh conditions of cold water, high pressure, and low oxygen.source
- An open information space on the first floor is somewhere to sit back and watch the dolphins swim.source
- The first-floor restaurant, Reilly, serves meals with a view of the dolphins swimming.source
- The shop, SEA FOREST, is at the second-floor entrance and can be used only by people who have paid admission.source
- The address is 18-28 Oaza Saitozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 811-0321, and the phone number is 092-603-0400.source
- The official website switches between Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean, and has a page for visitors from abroad.source
With kidsThe part that matters
When your kids have had enough of walking from tank to tank, you can head outside to the show pool, which faces Hakata Bay. An open-air area on the first floor lets them get close to the animals and touch some of them.
At lunchtime the first-floor restaurant looks out on the dolphins as you eat; if you bring your own food, you can eat it in the show pool seats when no show is on, or out on the lawn in fine weather.
A parent who visits often arrives at the 9:30 a.m. opening and leaves around 1 p.m., with the dolphin show and lunch in between.
Sources and evidence (6)
- Shows are emptiest first thing or last. It jams 11:00-15:00 on weekends, worst 13:00-14:00. Some show seats get soaked.source
- An annual-pass parent's day runs 9:30 to 13:00. Nursing cubicles on floor 2 have hot water; dads can use the tables.source
- No outside food inside Reilly; three other spots allow it. Kids' menu is hamburger or curry, and there are high chairs.source
- Entrance is on floor 2. You can watch from the stroller. Two to two and a half hours. Bring a ¥500 coin to borrow one.source
- Entry plus return boat is ¥4,600 an adult, bought at the Tenjin bus office, valid two months. Rough weather stops it.source
- At 18:00 the lighting switches to night mode and 20,000 sardines swirl. Arrive 16:00-17:00 to catch both day and night.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1On the 1st floor, Umi no Tane is a lounge area where you can settle in and watch the dolphins swim. Held in your arms or in the stroller, a baby can follow them from a seat. The seven-meter-deep open-ocean tank, Kyushu's Open Sea, runs across the 1st and 2nd floors, so the same water can be looked at from below and from above.Strollers are lent free with a 500 yen deposit that comes back when you return them; numbers are limited. There is one nursing room in the building, with hot water for formula. Five restrooms marked "toilets for everyone" are placed around the building, for wheelchair users, older visitors, pregnant visitors, families with small children, anyone. You may bring your own stroller, but tricycles and outdoor wagons are turned away to prevent accidents inside. The aquarium does not make paging announcements, so agree on a meeting point before you split up.
- Ages 2-3The show pool is built to open onto Hakata Bay behind it, and the sea lion stage stands right in front of the seats. Kaijuu Island on the 1st floor is an outdoor area where the animals can be watched from different angles and met up close. Also on the 1st floor, Fukuoka's Local Dolphin introduces the finless porpoise, a small dolphin that lives in the waters of northern Kyushu.You may bring food into the aquarium. There are two places to eat it: the show pool seating, when no show is running, and the lawn area, on fine days only. The 1st-floor restaurant Reilly is open 9:30 to 17:00 with food served 10:30 to 16:15, and the dolphins swim in view while you eat. Admission is 700 yen for children aged 3 up to school age and 1,200 yen for elementary and junior high students.
- Ages 4-6On the 3rd floor, Kyushu's Coastal Seas recreates four seas, the East China Sea, the Pacific, the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea, each keeping its own local character, so they can be compared side by side. Next to it, Kyushu Water Forest follows rain that falls on the mountains, becomes a river and runs to the sea, recreating the life and the settings it passes through. On the 2nd floor, Hone no Oto teaches what is hidden in the shape and size of bones, with commentary built out of sound words. Down on the 1st floor, Kyushu's Deep Sea holds creatures that evolved for cold water, high pressure and low oxygen.For visitors sensitive to light, sound or smell there is a "reassurance map," and for first-timers a "reassurance guide"; both are published as PDFs and handed out at the information counter. Normal hours are 9:30 to 17:30, December to February 10:00 to 17:00, and 9:30 to 21:00 during Golden Week and the summer season, with last entry an hour before closing. A parent who visits on an annual pass stays from the 9:30 opening until about 13:00, three to three and a half hours including the dolphin show and lunch at the restaurant inside.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe tank exhibits are indoors across floors 1 to 3, but Kaiju Island on the 1st floor — where you watch the animals from different angles and get close to them — is an outdoor area, and the show pool is built open to Hakata Bay behind it. Of the two places where you may eat food you brought in, the lawn is fair-weather only; the other is the show pool seating, and only when no show is running.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed3–3.5 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：yes
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
* 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
Shows are emptiest first thing or last. It jams 11:00-15:00 on weekends, worst 13:00-14:00. Some show seats get soaked.
Getting 120% out of Marine World Uminonakamichi: highlights, discounts and dodging the crowds
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
An annual-pass parent's day runs 9:30 to 13:00. Nursing cubicles on floor 2 have hot water; dads can use the tables.
Marine World Uminonakamichi with young children: what it's like, what it costs, how long it takes
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
No outside food inside Reilly; three other spots allow it. Kids' menu is hamburger or curry, and there are high chairs.
Lunch with a child at Reilly, inside Marine World: can you bring your own food?
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Entrance is on floor 2. You can watch from the stroller. Two to two and a half hours. Bring a ¥500 coin to borrow one.
A rainy-day rescue: going round Marine World with a three-year-old and a five-year-old
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Entry plus return boat is ¥4,600 an adult, bought at the Tenjin bus office, valid two months. Rough weather stops it.
Marine World with a three-year-old: the giant tank was the hit of the day
More to look at
Marine World Uminonakamichi · Links & reads ▾
Where to go next
Where it is
18-28 Saitozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 811-0321source
Before you go
- The number of rental strollers is limited.source
- Pets are not allowed in, apart from assistance dogs.source
- The aquarium makes no paging announcements, so no one will be called over the speakers if your group gets separated.source
- Over long holidays such as Golden Week, the roads around Island City and the Uminonakamichi Bridge are expected to be congested, and the aquarium advises coming by public transport.source
Basics
- Fee：Adults ¥2,500; college, vocational and high school students ¥2,500; elementary and junior-high students ¥1,200; children aged 3 to pre-school ¥700; age 65 and over ¥2,200. Holders of a disability certificate and one carer each pay half the individual rate. Parking is ¥600 for a car, ¥1,600 for a large vehicle, ¥300 for a motorcyclesource
- Hours：9:30-17:30 normally; 9:30-21:00 during Golden Week and the summer season; 10:00-17:00 from December to February. Last admission is one hour before closing. Closed for four days from the third Monday of January (18-21 January in 2027). Hours may change without notice in a typhoon or stormsource
- Time to allow：3–3.5 hsource
- Booking：Digital tickets and advance/combination tickets are sold through the official sitesourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (17)
- Regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.source
- The hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. during Golden Week (the run of holidays from late April into early May) and through the summer; in 2026 Golden Week falls on May 2 to 6.source
- From December through February the hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.source
- The last admission is one hour before closing.source
- The aquarium closes for four days starting on the third Monday of January, which in 2027 means January 18 (Monday) through January 21 (Thursday).source
- In rough weather such as a typhoon or a lightning storm, the hours may change or the aquarium may close with no notice.source
- The restaurant is normally open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with food served from 10:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.source
- Admission for an individual adult is 2,500 yen.source
- Admission is 2,500 yen for high school, university, and vocational school students.source
- Admission is 1,200 yen for elementary and junior high school students.source
- Admission is 700 yen for young children, meaning age 3 up to elementary school age.source
- Visitors aged 65 and over pay a senior rate of 2,200 yen.source
- Showing a physical disability, mental health, or intellectual disability certificate gets the holder and one companion in at half the individual rate.source
- Anyone holding an annual pass for Uminonakamichi Seaside Park pays the group rate for their own admission to the aquarium.source
- From JR Hakata Station, take the Kagoshima Main Line 11 minutes to Kashii Station, then change to the JR Kashii Line toward Saitozaki for 20 minutes to Uminonakamichi Station.source
- From Tenjin subway station, ride subway Line 2 for 12 minutes to Kaizuka, the Nishitetsu Kaizuka Line for 18 minutes to Wajiro, and the JR Kashii Line for 12 minutes to Uminonakamichi.source
- From central Fukuoka (Tenjin, Hakata, or the airport), it is about 7.5 km and roughly 15 minutes from the Island City exit of Urban Expressway Route 6.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (6)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Outside food allowed
- Official: Nursing space, Family restroom
- Official: main site
The aquarium works through the seas around Kyushu, from the deep sea to an open-ocean tank seven meters deep. On the third floor, the East China Sea, the Pacific, the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea sit side by side. The first floor keeps finless porpoises, small dolphins that live off northern Kyushu. Outdoors, Kaiju Island lets you see animals from several angles and get close to some. A map for visitors sensitive to light, sound or smell is handed out at the information counter.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers are lent free of charge against a ¥500 deposit, returned when you bring it back; numbers are limited. Your own stroller is fine inside, but tricycles and outdoor wagons are not allowed | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | marine-world.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | marine-world.jp | |
| Nursing space | Yes (1) | One nursing room in the building, with hot water for formula | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | marine-world.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes (5) | Five 'toilets for everyone' in the building, open to wheelchair users, older visitors, pregnant women and anyone with small children | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | marine-world.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | You may bring food in, and eat it in two places: the show-pool seating when no show is on, and the lawn area in fine weather | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | marine-world.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | Mostly indoors over three floors, with the outdoor Kaiju Island area, the show pool and a lawn area | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | marine-world.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet |