A day at Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest aquariums in Osaka

A whole lot of interesting sights make the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan a must-see attraction on your Osaka itinerary.

The aquarium is home to almost 30,000 creatures spanning over 620 species, from the mighty whale sharks and sting rays of the ocean, to the most minuscule creatures like the jellyfish, spotted garden eels, mushroom corals and anemones.

The aquarium stands out for its unique design, too. Visitors enter from the top floor and walk their way down, along the massive Pacific tank, as they get to witness all kinds of marine life at every depth of the ocean.

The top attraction is the Pacific Tank, of course, which houses two massive whale sharks, male and female, Kai and Yu, measuring approximately 4 to 6 metres in length. The Pacific Tank, with its mind-boggling dimensions, is an attraction in its own right. It is 9 meters deep, 34 meters in length and holds 5400 tons of water!! The acrylic glass that holds this volume of water is 30 cm thick.

You will also see intriguing exhibits of sea lions, otters, penguins, seals, and a large variety of colourful marine life.

My Tips about spending a fun-filled day around Kaiyukan

• Kaiyukan is located in the Tempozan Harbour Village near the Osaka Bay. It's very easily accessible by public transport.

  You can take the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line from Namba Station and get off at Hommachi.

  Switch to the Chuo Line and get off at Osakako Station. From there, you would've walked for about 10 minutes before starting to see the giant wheel of the Tempozan, the largest Ferris wheel in the world and right next to it is the Osaka Aquarium and the Tempozan Marketplace.

• One should plan to keep an entire day around this area. You can first go to Tempozan for a ride and then to Kaiyukan, or you could first get your tickets for the aquarium and then go to the giant wheel. The latter option worked quite well for us; we first fetched tickets for the aquarium upon arrival. Our slot was 3:30 pm. We then took a ride on the Ferris Wheel, which took about 1.5 hours since there was a long queue there too; had our lunch at the Tempozan Marketplace, and then had to wait for almost an hour before entering the aquarium.

• The best time to visit the aquarium is on a weekday. Weekends can get really crowded since it offers great exhibits for people of all age groups. You will see families with kids and grandparents in tow, waiting in the queue to enter.

• Entry to the aquarium is paid. Ideally, one should book online tickets in advance. Same-day tickets can also be purchased at the ticket counter, but you might not be able to get the entry time of your choice, and waiting times could be really long, especially if it's a weekend.

  The price of the tickets is dynamic, meaning it depends on customer demand. The average price of a ticket could range from USD 10.00 to 18.00.

  Please click on the link below to the official website of Kaiyukan to determine the price of the ticket on your day of visit

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• Tempozan Marketplace is a regular shopping mall with loads of eateries and shopping options. It's a good way to spend time if you're waiting to enter the aquarium.