We recently visited the infamous Shimonoseki Kaikyo Aquarium. The aquarium is well-known throughout Japan, and maybe even further afield, as it boasts an impressive collection of over 100 puffer fish. Shimonoseki is the home of the puffer fish, with about 70% of all of Japan’s puffer fish being caught just off its shores. So, it is unsurprising that our cities aquarium would also boast such an impressive collection! And why one lady viewing the aquarium said たべたい！(I want to eat…) as she was wondering round. Rather amusing…

We thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon wandering around the aquarium. We got to experience some friendly Penguins, and an impressive underwater tunnel where the Penguins swim overhead. Dan, in particular, made a few Penguin friends. We then enjoyed a Sea Lion show, with some rather talented Sea Lions, who gave us a wave and then shyly covered their eyes. Pretty darn cute. Following this we laughed with (at least it felt like that) some friendly and playful Porpoises as they blew bubbles and danced around their tank. Finally, we moved on to the stars of the show; the Dolphins. Man can they swim / jump! The show was short, but a lot of fun, and the Dolphins were very talented indeed. The setting of their tank is pretty special too, because the tank overlooks the impressive Kanmon Straights and Kanmon Bridge. So as we watched the Dolphins play, the sun was setting over the water and reflecting on the mountains. Nice.

Overall, it was a great way to spend some quality time together on a Friday afternoon. We were pretty surprised at the size of the aquarium and the number of quality tanks and interesting species it holds. Friends had been telling us we should visit, and it really did not disappoint!

Thanks Shimonoseki.

#Yamaguchi