>This morning we got ourselves up early (for a Saturday) – we were out of the house by 8am, and, after topping off the gas tank and dropping by Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee and a treat, were on the road by 8:30. As we pulled out of the driveway, Bear said, “This feels like we’re going to the airport!” and when asked to elaborate, said, “Because it’s so early!” I guess not leaving the house before 10:15am in the past two months can make 8am feel like 4.
Before we came to Okinawa we had been told stories about the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium on the island; it used to be the largest aquarium in the world but was trumped in recent years by a new one in Atlanta. But pulling second status by no means means that it was unimpressive; this place was like nothing we’d seen before. As we pulled in to Ocean Expo Park, we quickly realized that we weren’t in the right place, and as we went to leave the parking lot, one of the smiling attendants flagged us down and told us where to park, even giving us a map. We then pulled into a large parking garage where – no joke – there was a smiling attendent every twenty feet waving us along the path they wanted us to drive. Tony pulled into the parking space he was directed to, and then we saw that Every Single Other Car in the garage was parked combat-style, meaning the owners had backed in rather than pulling in. So we turned around and followed suit.
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| From October 2008 |
When we entered the open-air building, we were directed by another facility attendant to take the elevator to level three, where we got off and headed to the season pass desk. The admission for a single trip for an adult costs 1800 Yen, or approximately $18.00. The cost of a season pass is 3600 Yen, meaning if you plan on making more than one trip to the aquarium in one year, you’ve paid for it by the second visit. And kids under the age of six are FREE! From there we were smilingly guided to pay for the pass at the kiosk, then smilingly directed back to the season pass desk where we had our pictures taken and made into sturdy cards. Bear and I made a quick trip to the restroom, where our toilet had a heated seat, and the option of turning into a bidet if we so chose. I haven’t been brave enough to try that feature yet, but I’m sure I will before I leave.
And then we were in. There was exhibit after exhibit of tropical fish
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| From October 2008 |
and sea creatures.
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| From October 2008 |
And then there was the whale shark and manta ray tank. This tank must have been at least two stories high and bigger than the house we occupied in Germany – just massive. But it had to be, in order to hold not one but three whale sharks, and more manta rays than we could have counted.
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| From October 2008 |
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| From October 2008 |
Bug didn’t seem to grasp the enormity of these creatures, but he was excited by all the fish. “Fshhh, Fshhh,” he shouted, waving his hand in the sign he uses for the word fish.
He did love the dolphin show, though. And what a show! There were four species of dolphins in the holding tank, bottlenosed, spotted, and false killer whale (I can’t remember what the fourth was). They did tricks,
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| From October 2008 |
showed off their teeth and tongues,
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| From October 2008 |
and flew up into the air higher than I would have thought they could.
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| From October 2008 |
Bear and Bug just loved it, and Tony and I thought it was a great show, too.
After a quick lunch at a cafe there on site (corndogs for me and Bear, a lo mein type dish for Tony, and a little bit of everything for Bug) we headed to the kid’s play area that just opened this past summer. It was very cool, nets strung up all over the place for the kids to climb on, and it probably spanned a good two acres of land.
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| From October 2008 |
There was also an area for smaller children to explore.
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| From October 2008 |
After nearly an hour of playing, Bear and Bug were pooped, and so we headed home.
It was great to finally get out and do something, and this was a great way for Tony and I to start. Although this aquarium was bigger and better than any other we’ve seen (and I’ve been to a bunch!), it’s still something familiar, and was an easy entrance into Japan. We’re definitely looking forward to getting out and exploring more of Okinawa now!
I added a bunch of pictures that we took today. It’s only about a third of the pictures that I took, but how many fish pictures can you really look at before they all start to look the same?
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