Visit the Sunshine Aquarium
Tokyo offers many places where you can see penguins. The capital has several aquariums, as well as zoos. They even have a Penguin Bar. As you can tell, there is plenty to choose from. To make your choice easier, let’s discover the penguins at Sunshine Aquarium with us!
Maybe you are asking yourself, why should you visit this particular aquarium? The answer is easy; they have “flying” penguins. Continue reading to learn more.
Where is the Sunshine Aquarium located?
The location of Sunshine Aquarium is very convenient on a mall rooftop. The shopping center is almost in the heart of the city. To get to the aquarium, enter the mall and take the elevator to the top floor. Use the “Elevator to Aquarium” on the 1st floor to proceed to the “Rooftop.”
Address: Rooftop of World Import Mart Building, Sunshine City, 3-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 170-8630
For information on how to get to Sunshine City, check the website here – link.
Tickets to the Sunshine Aquarium
You can purchase tickets directly on-site. Note that tickets with a designated date/time are required for admission to the aquarium.
- Adults: JPN 2400
- Children: JPN 1200
- Pre-schoolers 4 years or older: JPN 700
- Penguins: free entry
Prices vary depending on the season. Check their website here – link.
Opening Hours to Sunshine Aquarium
The aquarium is open seven days a week, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Waddling the Sunshine Aquarium
Even though it is located on the rooftop, you will be waddling for approximately one hour. It can be also longer depending on how fast you waddle.
The aquarium has three permanent exhibitions:
- Outdoor Marine Garden Sky Journey
- Second Floor Waterfront Journey
- First Floor Ocean Journey
Each exhibition hosts different ocean animals and aquatic plants. You can find different varieties of frogs and turtles, many mammals, many species of fish, and invertebrates, including corals, squids, jellyfish, and more. And, of course, penguins – more precisely, African penguins.
The animals are beautiful and taken care of, but let’s move to the penguins. Which is the reason we came here.
The Flying Penguins
Of course, the penguins here are not really flying, but the aquarium is built as if it were. I haven’t seen such a disposition anywhere else yet. You walk underneath the water and can observe penguins from below. This gives the feeling as if the penguins are flying above you.
Part of the presentation is also the feeding of the penguins. That is when even the penguins not swimming join everyone in the water.
It is a unique experience. Each day they also have presentations about penguins at specific times. We sat on one, and the girl explained much about penguins, their life, birth, feeding habits, and more. However, the presentation is only in Japanese, so prepare.
Souvenir Shop
After the fantastic experience, we wanted to buy some penguin souvenirs, and the shop in the aquarium didn’t disappoint. They had a lot! Especially a lot of penguin stuff. It was tough to choose. From stuffed toys, stationery, and practical kitchenware to sweet cakes in the shapes of penguins, they have it all – a paradise for every penguin lover.
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