🗺️ Oita Marine Palace Aquarium Umikawa大分マリーンパレス水族館 うみたまご

"Umi no Tamago" is an aquarium built facing Beppu Bay. With the theme of "becoming good friends with marine animals," it has become a popular spot for close encounters with dolphins, sea lions, and other marine creatures. Its predecessor, the Oita Ecological Aquarium Marine Palace, opened in 1964 (Showa 39) and introduced the world's first tidal flow display tank, accommodating about 90 species and 1,500 fish from the Bungo Channel. It also gained attention for hosting Japan's first sea otter performance. After expanding in 2004, it reopened under the name "Oita Marine Palace Aquarium Umi no Tamago." One of the highlights of "Umi no Tamago" is the opportunity to closely observe performances featuring sea lions, harbor seals, and dolphins, as well as the chance to directly touch the performing animals. In the play pool "ASOBEACH," which is covered with white coral sand, dolphins may swim close to visitors.

There are several exciting animal performances, including dolphin shows and sea lion shows. Facilities such as "Beppu Bay POOL," where you can touch various fish from Oita, and "ASOBEACH," where you can observe dolphins up close, offer a rich and diverse experience for interacting with marine life. On Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays in the afternoon, there are diver feeding explanation activities held at the large circular aquarium.