Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium
An aquarium keeping nine of the world's eighteen penguin species.
piggybackjapan.com
Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium
SaveAn aquarium keeping nine of the world's eighteen penguin species.
The subantarctic pool is four meters deep and holds 200 tons of water, where penguins look more like birds in flight.
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：not checked
- 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.
Near here
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A mother-and-son trip to Nagasaki: the penguin aquarium
Mid-March with a sixth-grader. The backyard tour takes only 10, so they queued from 8:30 and were first in line.
note.com2025
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
We went to the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium with two small boys
Two small boys. The kids' space is shoes-off, with books and soft toys; the touch pool holds starfish and hermit crabs.
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
The world's best penguin aquarium, and a good first aquarium for a small child
Lunch at Shinsen Shokusai Ichimura, 10 minutes by car: high chairs, a children's set. Bring a towel for the touch pool.
nagasaki-tabinet.com2022
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium: the world's widest range of penguins, and what the place is like with children
Car park 2 is closer: over the bridge and you are there. From car park 1 you walk the biotope, and children stall there.
nagasakidsplace.com2024
Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium · Links & reads ▾
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Basics
- Fee：¥800 for adults and ¥400 for primary through high school; pre-school children are free. Groups pay ¥640 and ¥280. An annual pass is ¥2,000 / ¥1,000. Nagasaki city residents holding a disability, rehabilitation or mental health certificate get in free with a carer (a benefit card alone is not accepted); holders from outside the city pay ¥400 / ¥200 with a carer. Parking is ¥260 for the first hour then ¥200 an hour. Kayaking costs ¥730 an hour for a single and ¥1,090 for a double. If it is your birthday, show something that proves it at the desk for a small present.■
- Hours：Open every day of the year, 9:00-17:00, though the odd day closes without notice. Allow about an hour to go round. The car parks run 8:00-18:00 and you cannot drive in or out outside those hours. Penguin Beach only runs on weekends and public holidays, and stops during a bird flu outbreak or the moulting season — it has been suspended since 8 August 2026. Kayaking is limited to weekends and holidays from late April to late September, and stops for rain, strong wind or low tide.■
- Time needed：60 min
- Booking：Individuals buy at the desk or the machine on the day; cards, e-money and QR payments are all accepted. Groups book by fax. Wheelchairs and strollers are lent free but cannot be reserved — first come, first served. Kayaking runs on weekend and holiday dates between late April and late September.■Official booking site ↗
evidence & sources (9)
- Official: Indoor / outdoor, Stroller friendly, Diaper changing table
- Official: Nursing space, Family restroom, Outside food allowed
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: Best-fit ages (guide)
- Official: main site
The subantarctic pool is one of the largest in Japan, four meters deep and holding 200 tons of water. A separate house keeps little penguins from Australia, the smallest species in the world. In the touch pool children can handle starfish, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. Penguin Beach, built so the birds can swim in the open sea, was the first of its kind anywhere. The walk up from the first car park crosses a biotope of terraced paddies, streams and woodland.
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | The tanks and the kids' room are indoors; Penguin Beach, the kayaking, the penguin square and the biotope woodland are all outside. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers and wheelchairs are lent free at the main desk — first come, first served, no reservations, and there are only a few. The aquarium building is step-free throughout. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (2) | A nursing room next to the shop on the first floor (no hot water dispenser), and a 'mamaro' baby care pod beside the kids' room on the second floor, which serves as both a nursing room and a changing space. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Baby changing shelves in the multipurpose toilets, plus the 'mamaro' pod by the second-floor kids' room. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes | Multipurpose toilets with a baby changing shelf. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Elevator | Yes | Two lifts inside the aquarium, which is step-free throughout. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | You can eat outdoors at the penguin square and the lawn, but not inside the building. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | Pre-school children get in free, and there is a kids' room on the second floor next to the penguin goods gallery. The touch pool is set up so small children can handle starfish, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. For kayaking, a single seat is for junior high age and up; children aged 4 to primary school must share a double with an adult, and a junior-high-or-older companion can stand in for the parent. Feet get wet, so bring a change of clothes. The age and height rules for Penguin Beach, and whether it needs booking, are not stated. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | By car, about 5 minutes back along the ordinary road from the Nagasaki Susukizuka interchange, or 15 minutes from Nagasaki Tarami. By bus, take the Nagasaki prefectural bus bound for Aba / Kasuga Shako-mae from the Nagasaki Station front terminal; coming back, use the Himi Koen-mae stop. From Nagasaki Airport, the limousine bus into the city takes about 50 minutes to Nagasaki Station. A taxi from Nagasaki Station is about 30 minutes and around ¥2,500. Car park 2 is the closer one and the one recommended if you use a wheelchair; car park 1 is a little further but the walk goes through the biotope woodland. Car parks run 8:00-18:00 only. Coin lockers ¥100. The whole site is non-smoking, and assistance dogs are welcome though pets are not. You can re-enter as often as you like on the day by showing your ticket at the main desk. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | penguin-aqua.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet |