Thorough explanation of TobaAquarium! Introducing highlights, access, and prices

Article production / Mie Travel Camera Club Fugamaru-chan

▼Table of contents

• What is TobaAquarium?
• business hours
• how to access
  • Access by train
  • Access by bus
  • Access/parking by car
• Fee
• Introducing living things
  • Sea otter (polar sea)
  • Dugong (Sea of Mermaids)
  • Walrus (Water Corridor)
  • Penguin (Water Corridor)
  • Small-clawed otter (water corridor)
  • Sea lion show (performance stadium)
  • Sea lions, sea lions, and seals (kingdom of sea mammals)
  • Finless Porpoise (Sea of Ise-Shima/Sea of Japan)
  • Fishing cat (Miracle Forest)
  • Giant beetle (Strange Creature Research Institute)
• Restaurants/Shops
  • Too cute and very popular! Sea otter Mei-chan curry
  • ``Plaza Shop'' is full of aquarium goods.

What is TobaAquarium?

TobaAquarium is an aquarium where you can meet many living creatures, and boasts one of the largest numbers of species in Japan.

Highlights include breeding exhibits and unique shows that will make you feel like you're actually there! Lots of fun features for everyone from children to adults!

In this article, we will thoroughly explain the charm of TobaAquarium ♪

First, please take a look at facility information such as business hours and access.

business hours

TobaAquarium 's business hours are from 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:00), open all year round.

Business hours from 7/20 to 8/31 (summer season) are 8:30 to 17:30.

*Admission may be restricted as a preventive measure against infectious diseases.

how to access

We will show you how to get to TobaAquarium by train, bus, or car.

Access by train

If your travel plan is to TobaAquarium and explore the surrounding area, we recommend the train! Toba Station is a station that serves both JR and Kintetsu trains.

If you are coming from Osaka, Kyoto, or Nara, check out the Kintetsu Railway TobaAquarium Discount Ticket (advanced sale only), which is a set that includes a round-trip ticket and TobaAquarium admission ticket!

Click here for details on TobaAquarium discount ticket (Kintetsu official website)

Access by bus

If you want to visit surrounding sightseeing spots such as IseJingu, we recommend the tour bus (Ise Futami Toba Tour Bus CAN Bus)!

If you purchase the ``Ise-Toba Michikusa Kippu'' ticket, which allows you to hop on and off the train as much as you like and includes discounts on tourist attractions, it is convenient and convenient.

Ise Toba Michikusa Ticket Fare

1DAY: Adults 1,200 yen Children 600 yen

2DAYS… Adults 1,800 yen Children 900 yen

Access/parking by car

There are three parking lots at TobaAquarium, and the parking fees for passenger cars are as follows.

(1) On-site parking: 800 yen once a day
(2) Multi-story parking lot: 800 yen once a day
(3) Toba station parking lot: 500 yen once a day

All three parking lots are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and from July 20th to August 31st (summer season) from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The closest parking lot to the aquarium's entrance gate is located on the aquarium grounds (1), so you can enter the aquarium without getting wet even on rainy days.

The first 20 to 30 cars will be parked here, and once it is full, you will be directed to the (2) multi-story parking lot across the street.

Fee

Tickets for TobaAquarium are sold on the first floor, and the prices are as follows.

Adult 2,800 yen
Children (elementary and junior high school students) 1,600 yen
Infant (3 years old and over) 800 yen

Please see the official website for details on discounts for people with disabilities and group rates.

Introducing living things

There is no set route to TobaAquarium, so it's up to you how you go around it!

There is even a sign inside the facility that says ``An aquarium without a regular route.''

Next, we will introduce selected creatures that you can meet at TobaAquarium.

*The name in parentheses is the zone name where you can meet living things.

Sea otter (polar sea)

The idol duo of TobaAquarium are the sea otters Mei-chan and Kira-chan.

When the sea otters begin their feeding time, cheers of "Aaah! So cute!" are heard, and the viewing area can get crowded even on weekdays.

That's no wonder; when Kira & Mei's video was released on TobaAquarium 's official Twitter account, it received a large number of views and was well-known nationwide.

During "Sea Otter Meal Time," you can watch sea otters eating shellfish and fish through the aquarium.

It's so cute to see them receiving large clams with their shells and eating them!

When the zookeeper throws the squid so that it sticks to the glass surface, it jumps out of the pool!

Its flying distance can reach 1m40cm. Watching them try so hard to catch food is soothing.

The interaction scene between the zookeeper and the sea otter is also a highlight, and it's heartwarming to see them caressed like their own daughters!

The keeper's popularity is rapidly increasing, with many searches online for `` TobaAquarium Old Sea Otter'' and comments on social media saying ``The old man is cute too!''

The Polar Sea, where you can meet sea otters, is a zone where you can see the lifestyles of animals living in a harsh, frigid world.

You can meet rare animals such as Irowa dolphins and Baikal seals.

Dugong (Sea of Mermaids)

The ``Mermaid Sea'' is a zone where you can watch the dugong ``Serena'' swimming leisurely.

Serena is a dugong who was separated from her mother in the Philippines in 1986 and was given to TobaAquarium as a token of friendship.

I'll say it again because it's important, but this is the only place in Japan that breeds and exhibits dugongs!

There are no dugong shows, but if you're lucky, you might see them munching on seaweed!

Although they look like cows grazing on grassland, dugongs are classified as sea cows and are closely related to elephants.

Walrus (Water Corridor)

If you come to TobaAquarium, the performance you can't miss is "Walrus Petting Time."

As soon as the show started, I couldn't help but say, "Wow!" when I saw the walrus bowing so gracefully.

Walruses are very intelligent and seem to understand verbal commands and hand signals.

During this petting time, the talented walruses do sit-ups, play the harmonica, blow bubbles, and blow kisses!

Walruses have strong suction power and are also good at blowing.

It seems that the ability to blow well is a rare characteristic among animals commonly seen in aquariums.

At the end, they will take you around the venue, so you can take photos up close with the walruses.

The walrus petting time is held in the "Water Corridor" zone, and there will also be a penguin walk, which I'll explain next.

Penguin (Water Corridor)

``Penguin Walk'' where about 10 penguins waddle around (currently suspended on 12/10).

The sight of them marching in groups is very adorable, and during the march, quizzes related to penguins are asked.

"Is a penguin a fish or a bird?"
"How many kilometers does a penguin walk?"
"How can you tell the difference between a male and a female?"

For the answers to those questions, please check it out on-site ♪

Small-clawed otter (water corridor)

The Water Corridor, where walruses and penguins are on display, is also a zone where you can meet small-clawed otters.

At TobaAquarium, we keep male and female pairs for breeding purposes, and you can sometimes see them taking a nap together♪

The exhibition of two small-clawed otters born in May 2023 will begin from the end of July 2023!

You can see it in the aquarium in the Water Corridor Zone.

You can even see the two of them cuddling, so it might make your heart flutter because they're so cute!

While admiring the small-clawed otter, I encountered a staff member who was enthusiastically taking pictures!

When I asked him what kind of photos he was taking, he said, "I'm taking photos for SNS."

TobaAquarium posts information about the animals on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok, and the total number of followers is over 400,000 as of November 2022!

Furthermore, the aquarium has also opened a YouTube channel, which has over 100,000 subscribers, making it a very popular aquarium on social media and the internet.

TobaAquarium Twitter (@TOBA_AQUARIUM)
TobaAquarium instagram (@toba_aquarium.official)
TobaAquarium Tiktok (@toba_aquarium.official)
TobaAquarium Youtube channel (@TOBA AQUARIUM)

You can access each SNS and Youtube channel from the links above, so be sure to check them out♪

Sea lion show (performance stadium)

The sea lion show at TobaAquarium has a history of over 50 years and is still a very popular show.

Immediately after the show started, she performed a balancing act on the stage where she placed a Kewpie doll on her nose!

It has a great sense of balance as it is supported by its fins and its hips are lifted up.

Next, he caught the ball passed by the trainer with his nose and dived directly into the water!

The sight of him swimming so vigorously with the ball on his nose without dropping it was a sight to behold.

He also showed off his ring toss catch and high jump from the water.

At the end of the show, you may even see the sea lion "Akkambe".

At this time, half of your body will be sticking out of the tank, so if you sit in the front, you can enjoy the closeness.

Sea lion shows are held from 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., and the show lasts about 15 minutes.

Sea lions, sea lions, and seals (kingdom of sea mammals)

The "Kingdom of Sea Mammals" zone is where you can see sea lions, sea lions, and seals from inside a transparent tube.

As the giant marine animals come very close to the transparent tube, you can enjoy the closeness that is different from the aquarium.

The ``Kingdom of Sea Mammals Meal Time'' held here features impressive meal scenes.

During the interview, a sea lion appeared screaming "Oh!" and was repeatedly shown catching food thrown by its trainer with its mouth.

Finless Porpoise (Sea of Ise-Shima/Sea of Japan)

Finless porpoises are said to live in abundance in the Seto Inland Sea and Ise Bay. They are very curious, and if you stand in front of the aquarium for a long time, they may come over and ask, ``I wonder what it is?''

According to the zookeeper, if you wear clothes of the same color as the zookeeper, the chances of them coming to you will increase.

She also told me that when it's not crowded, it's ok to wave.

So, I tried waving at him and he came right up to me! That too in the direction of your hands!

There was no finless porpoise show, but we were able to communicate and play through the aquarium♪

Hitting the aquarium or flashing your camera is not allowed.

In the ``Sea of Ise-Shima/Sea of Japan'' zone, where you can encounter finless porpoises, creatures that live in Ise Bay are bred and exhibited.

The aquarium filled with large fish such as yellowtail and amberjack, as well as colorful rockfish, is a must-see, and it has a world view that is reminiscent of Ryugu Castle.

Mie Prefecture borders Toba and faces the quiet Ise Bay to the north and the Kumano Sea, where the Kuroshio Current meets, to the south, so you can see a variety of fish.

Fishing cat (Miracle Forest)

Fishing cats are a member of the wildcat family, and in the wild they live in swamps and riversides.

It is a rare animal that is classified as an endangered species and is distributed in Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, and southern China.

The "Miracle Forest" zone is where these fishing cats are bred and exhibited, and they can only be found in two places in Japan TobaAquarium and Kobe kambe Kingdom. *As of November 2022

The "Miracle Forest" where fishing cats are located is located at the end of the rooftop passageway and opened in 2015.

The stuffy, humid air and space filled with light are like a wetland in the jungle!

Of course there are fish too. When you dip your hands in the water of the pond... countless fish will cling to you!

Its true identity is...a "doctor fish" that eats dead skin cells.

I can feel the mouth moving around with my hands, but surprisingly, it doesn't hurt at all, and in fact, I just think, ``It feels so good!''

“Miracle Forest” has places where you can cross suspension bridges and other features that will make you feel like an explorer!

I think this is a zone that children will be very happy with.

Giant beetle (Strange Creature Research Institute)

The world's largest pill bug, the giant pill bug, is treated in a different way from other living creatures.

Even though they are said to be the cleaners of the deep sea, the fact that they can go without food for years is amazing!

They are mysterious creatures whose ecology is still poorly understood.

The ``Weird Creatures Laboratory'' zone, where the ``Giant Beetle'' is located, is filled with creatures that will make you cry out, ``What is this?''

The sight of many aquariums lined up in a dimly lit space is exactly the atmosphere of a research institute.

Restaurants/Shops

Lastly, we will introduce some restaurants and souvenir shops inside TobaAquarium.

Too cute and very popular! Sea otter Mei-chan curry

Hanasango is a restaurant where you can eat curry inspired by the sea otter Mei-chan.

The curry looks like the sea, and the rice is shaped like a sea otter, giving it a cute look!

You can choose between sweet and medium spicy flavors, so both children and adults can enjoy it♪

At Hanasango, you can also enjoy lunch such as roast beef and pasta.

The restaurant has a calm atmosphere, so it was the perfect place to take a break after walking around the aquarium.

Business hours vary depending on the season, so please check the official website for details.

``Plaza Shop'' is full of aquarium goods.

The ``Plaza Shop'' corner is stocked with TobaAquarium 's original goods.

You can enjoy a wide selection of souvenirs, including stuffed animals, key chains, and small portions of sweets exclusive to TobaAquarium.

What did you think

As expected, this is an aquarium with the largest number of species! I felt a sense of satisfaction.

I interviewed the museum from 9:00 a.m. when it opened, and as I looked at each of them one by one, I found myself waiting until the closing music was on.

In any case, in each aquarium, there is a deep understanding and love for living things, and I was moved by the desire to shine the same light on even the smallest creatures.

It was such a wonderful aquarium that when you finished looking at it, you realized how big the earth is.