Otaru Aquarium
おたる水族館
A long-established aquarium on Shukutsu Cape with a “marine mammal park” enclosed in a natural bay, where sea lion and seal shows feel wild and lively.
Otaru Aquarium opened in 1958 at Shukutsu, in the north of Otaru. The main building displays fish from the waters off Hokkaido and penguins. Its most distinctive feature is the Marine Mammal Park, an enclosure made from a natural bay, where sea lions, spotted seals and walruses swim in real waves. The seal feeding show and sea lion diving performances are popular. In winter, penguin walks are also a crowd favorite. Tickets cost about 1,800 yen. Opening hours are about 09:00 to 17:00, and the aquarium is closed from late November to mid-December and from late February to mid-March. Getting there: take a bus from JR Otaru Station for about 25 minutes.
Opening hours
Approx. 9 am–5 pm (seasonal closures)
Nearby sights
- Otaru Herring Mansion
- Former Aoyama Villa
- Otaru City General Museum
- Otaru Canal
- Otaru Beer Otaru Warehouse No.1
- Nitori Otaru Art Base
- Former Temiya Line
- Funami-zaka Slope