Kyoto Aquarium - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Kyoto Aquarium
Kyoto Aquarium
4
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The Kyoto Aquarium, themed "The closer you get, the more you'll like it," is a large inland facility showcasing creatures like the Japanese giant salamander, a national treasure, in its "Rivers of Kyoto" exhibit. It houses approximately 250 species and 15,000 individuals across 10 areas, including penguins, jellyfish, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Visitors can enjoy various programs such as "Feeding Time" and "Play Time" for interactive experiences with the animals, as well as themed workshops.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Does not meet animal welfare guidelines
Tripadvisor does not provide bookings for this experience because it does not meet our animal welfare guidelines.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Shimogyo-ku
Shimogyo-ku is centered around the busy train hub, Kyoto Station. A nexus for commerce, shopping, dining, and hotels, the Shimogyo-ku area is infused with tourists and local business travelers, making it a competitive location for ever-new commercial structures. The shops and cafes here are chic and trendy, as a result, with many recognizable chains. Commuters flood the Shimogyo-ku area twice a day, and with Kyoto Station itself being a modern mega-complex and an architectural marvel, this neighborhood is one of the most contemporary and energetic areas that the city has to offer. Buildings here look futuristic, and huge department stores, shopping arcades, and public meeting spaces provide every possible convenience. It is also nearly the only place in Kyoto where rooftop dining and socializing is available, completing its modern tone.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles550 reviews
Excellent
132
Very good
227
Average
136
Poor
38
Terrible
17

kamoshika
Tokyo, Japan63 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
Very disappointed with this aquarium. There was a dolphin birth recently and as a result, the big dolphin show (their main attraction) has been canceled for the time being. Quite deceptively, one learns of this information only after you've paid for your tickets and entered the premises. Even with the dolphin show, I would say this aquarium is overpriced. Other that an extensive jellyfish exhibit, the rest of the place is very meh. People were allowed to enter the dolphin arena and you could sort of see a couple of dolphins swimming in some very, very small enclosures--very depressing. Seems like animal abuse to me.
Written November 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura H
4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
Jellyfish were great! Not quite as impressive in range of sea-life as Sumida under the Skytree, but worth a visit if you are only in Kyoto. Also has its own penguin colony!
Kyoto Aquarium does have an outdoor pool area for dolphins and exhibitions that Sumida does not have.
Written February 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ahmad A
Shinjuku, Japan254 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Couples
our hotel was a 5 min walk from Kyoto station and we were so tired do go or do anything else that day .we decided to go for a 10 min walk without knowing the the Aquarium was in front of us and us entered the Aquarium and it was super wow everything looked great and clean and after a tour of the Aquarium we entered the dolphins show and it was the best show we have ever seen I highly recommend this place to anyone goes Kyoto
Written September 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LilyFro
London, UK32 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Family
We Planned to go to the Osaka Aquarium but heard about the new Kyoto Aquarium with added extra dolphin show and decided to give it a go. After a short queue to get in we entered a room full of people and so it continued. We got to see the sea lions and then shuffled amongst the crowd in a packed room to see the aquarium from afar. We continued to shuffle and get pushed through the crowd towards the dolphin show. We got seats 45 minutes before the show started.

The dolphin show was good after it finished we went to continue to see further attractions but it was the end and we got to the shop. We left!

In all we saw sea lions, penguins, array of fish from afar and a dolphin show. We planned a half day activity and were at the Aquarium for approx 90 minutes. Way too busy to enjoy.
Written August 26, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tinytrev
Sydney26 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2012 • Family
The newly opened (March 2012) Kyoto Aquarium has caused a lot of controversy locally. Residents say that most visitors to Kyoto come to see historical temples and the like in Japan's ancient capital, and it's hard not to disagree. However the final result is nicely done and, if you're in town with children in tow, a visit here might help fend off temple overload in the little ones.

The building itself is hard to find - there's no English language signposting that we could find, and it's not identified on the bus as one of the stops - keep your eye open for a sign saying Umekoji Park on the south side of the road and get off at the next stop and walk back. The aquarium is about a five minute walk from here, through the park in the direction of the main Kyoto station.

The lack of English language information continues inside - there was no English language guidebook or leaflet when we visited. Most of the signage is exclusively Japanese, although all the exhibits do have English name tags at least. If they do want to attract overseas visitors, they'll need to improve this.

The first big exhibit is a large seal pool, partly outdoors, and the seals seem to be really enjoying their new environment. There really good viewing opportunities from top, side and beneath the animals here!

The main tank is a multi--level affair with what looks liks hundreds of fish small and large, sharks, rays and a single lonely clown fish. It's well done and looks pretty, but there's no real context to any of it - do all these species live together in the wild, or have they just been stuck in a tank together for show?

The only really locally relevant exhibit is a small section with some inhabitants of the local Kamogawa river. If you've spotted anything in the river n your time here this might help you identify it (although the coypu we'd seen in it couple of days before wasn't mentioned).

Other exhibits include penguins, tiny fish and sea creatures, and a dolphin show which lasts around 20 minutes and is conducted entirely in Japanese. If you've ever seen dolphins perform before, this doesn't contain anything new.

Our visit filled 2 hours on a wet spring morning. Even though it was a weekday outside local school holidays, there were plenty of people here and I'm sure it's packed at weekends, so plan on getting here early if you're coming along. There's a lot of hard selling on the way out - there's a gift shop as you leave the dolphin show, and another as you exit the building a few minutes later.

If you're in the Kansai region and want to visit an aquarium, Osaka has a much bigger and better one that charges the same for entry as this much smaller one. If you're only in Kyoto for a day or two your interests are likely to lie elsewhere; if you're here for longer the trip to Osaka to visit theirs is well worth the time. But if, like us, you have a wet morni to fill, have one or more youngsters with you and need a break from museums and temples, this might just fit the bill.
Written April 11, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kylie J
19 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2017
I loved the jellyfish and giant aquarium but the penguin enclosure made me cry, it is way to small and over crowded , it's animals in a glass box and don't get me started on the dolphin enclosure...
Written July 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Susanc123455
Mount Evelyn, Australia13 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2016 • Couples
Would not recommend going to the Kyoto Aquarium if you are an animal lover. The tanks are too small. The salamander tanks are as big as the animals they house. The seals look bored and definitely don't not have enough room. There didn't seem to be any conservation information around the place. The species signs didn't describe were the animals originate from. And the dolphin enclosure was tiny for the amount of dolphins. Save your money and time and go elsewhere in Kyoto.
Written March 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vitz
New York City, NY7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
Although the giant salamander was impressive, exposing them in the shoe box sized tank was shocking! The seals and the penguins areas are definitely unfitted to ensure their well being. The few ice cubes thrown at the viewing window to attract penguins is just an act of animal abuse, particularly under 37C weather…The dolphins basin should be much larger to allow better captivity conditions. And please dont treat the dolphins like fools!
Written August 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

traveler57286
Edmonton, Canada1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2018 • Solo
This place left me with sadness. The sea lions and penguins were in very tight, uncomfortable spaces. There were two sea lions in a very small container, almost like a display. I would very much like it, if the staff take the animals well being to heart.
Written July 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dutchiedonuts
Toronto, Canada989 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2017 • Solo
I was on my way to see the Kyoto Railroad Museum & I came across the Kyoto Aquarium.
I thought, what the heck, I'm here, why not.
It is around a 20min. walk from Kyoto Station.

The building from the outside looks very nice.
Upon entering you'll see in English on how much the rates are for age groups.
You'll be looking at around $20.00, but keep the ticket. You get a discount if you go to the Railroad Museum afterwards, but show them the ticket stub when you get there.
The price might seem steep but really no different in prices with Aquariums around the world.

You'll enjoy all the different areas for all the different types of sea life in this facility.
You may want to check the times for when they do the dolphin show.
I got to admit this is very entertaining. The staff really get the audience involved & really make a nice show out of it, with the dolphins doing tricks.
FYI...the commentary will be in Japanese but it's still was a awesome experience.

Once you're leaving, there'll be a little cafe you can go to relax & get a drink or bite to eat. Outside they have a nice sitting area with gardens & waterfalls.
The layout of this place is really nice, the staff are very friendly/ helpful, & the place is spotless.

In my opinion I think it's worth checking out.
Written September 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Kyoto Aquarium - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM


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