Miyajima Island has many things to offer, most famously the Itsukishima Shrine, Mount Misen and Daisho-in Temple. Those great attractions can often overshadow lesser-known sites to visit.
During their excursion to the sacred land, some of the SJMC Japan students chose to visit the Miyajima Public Aquarium in their free time.
The aquarium is about a five-to-sevent minute walk from the Itsukishima Shrine. Upon entering, there is a giant standing dolphin plush. Past that door, is where one can buy tickets.
There’s many different types of tickets to buy: adult, high school student, toddler, etc. The least expensive ticket is 280 yen (USD $1.75). Mass communication senior Celeste Montoya purchased her entrance ticket online, whereas the rest purchased theirs at a vending machine at the entrance.
Each ticket was 1420 yen (USD $9.54), which happened to be the most expensive ticket. Each student was able to get a brochure of the aquarium in English so they could read along with the exhibits. Each printed ticket came with an animated animal on it. The staff at the front were very helpful, even with helping them with working machines that were in Japanese.
After students made it past the entrance gate, a tank of fish awaited them. After looking at a few different types of fish, there’s an escalator to take to go upstairs to continue.
Since Hiroshima is known for oysters, there is a small exhibit showing an oyster raft and how they’re harvested. Some of the nearby tanks showcase turtles, horseshoe crabs, catfish and eels. The aquarium has plaques of different ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them. For example, the river exhibit showed mitten crabs and Japanese toads.
Going to a separate section, there was a tank of a family of beluga whales. Later on, there was a giant tank filled with multiple different species of fish like stingrays and small sharks.
Once the small group left the inside of the building, they discovered the outdoor portion. This part housed sea lions and penguins. During the time spent at the aquarium, the students were able to take a quick picture with a couple of the penguins.
The only issue some had was the look of the enclosures.
“I felt like they needed a bigger enclosure,” advertising sophomore Valeria Cerecer-Vargas said. “For the amount that they had, it was a lot more crowded compared to zoos and aquariums in Dallas and New York.”
While walking through the aquarium, students entered the gift shop and bought multiple souvenirs. Electronic media junior Camren Nichols purchased a lot of otter-related materials to take back to the United States with her. Her favorite item was a sloth postcard.
Evan Luna, an electronic media freshman, bought a pin of an oyster eating a lemon. The gift shop had many different items to buy ranging from cookies to stuffed animals.
Along with just seeing the animals, the aquarium offers events each day to interact with them! They have live pool shows with sea lions, an opportunity to pet penguins and the feeding of other marine life.
There’s also a cafe called the Miyjimarine Kitchen! They offer food, drinks and a view of the sea . On the day SJMC Japan students visited, it was foggy; however, the views of the water and mountains were still gorgeous.
There were unfortunately a couple parts of the aquarium that weren’t seen. The area on the rooftop went undiscovered due the students wanting to view and potentially interact with the animals that were out. The second was focused on highlighting the beauty of goldfish and carp.
The Miyajima Public Aquarium may not be the most popular destination on the island, but it’s worth visiting. The variety in species and activities makes it the perfect place for people of all ages to explore.
About The Author
