Sakura season 🌸 in Japan is one of the most beautiful times of the year to visit, but it is also one of the most touristy times as well. Sakura season or cherry blossom season begins in the southern Ryukyu island of Okinawa around mid January to early February. The season begins to unfold on mainland Japan around the end of March to early April. The further north you go the later the cherry blossoms bloom, so Hokkaido’s cherry blossom season starts around the end of April and lasts until early May. During Sakura season, visitors can expect to see cherry blossoms in full bloom dotting the landscape with beautiful shades of pink and white blossoms. Whether you are in Okinawa during Sakura season or mainland Japan, this post will act as a guide to Sakura season in Japan. **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Trees So, what exactly are Sakura Trees? Sakura is the Japanese term for cherry blossom 🌸. The cherry blossom is the flower that blooms from a specific species of tree. Although cherry is in the name, the cherry blossom tree does not produce fruit. A couple weeks out of the year during early spring the cherry blossoms bloom into beautiful pinkish and white flowers. Otherwise, the trees grow leaves once the cherry blossom flowers fall to the ground.  Sakura Season in Japan Sakura season is one of the most beautiful times of the year to visit Japan. Around this time of year, usually early spring the cherry blossom flowers begin to bloom. Travelers and locals alike flock to famous destinations like Himeji and Iwakuni to picnic under the Sakura trees, take photos, and enjoy the beautiful blossoms. Although stunningly beautiful, cherry blossom season is also one of Japan’s busiest seasons. Crowds upon crowds will flood famous Sakura destinations, hundreds if not thousands of people will be out enjoying the blossoms. Food companies are quick to make profit and sell anything and everything Sakura flavored from Sakura Frappuccino’s to Sakura flavored donuts.  Sakura season in Japan lasts only a few weeks and times vary depending on location. Generally the islands in Okinawa will see Sakura trees begin to bloom first around late January to early February. About a month or two later come late March to early April, the Sakura trees will begin to bloom on mainland Japan. Generally, the cherry blossoms will bloom earlier the more south you are. Cherry Blossom season in Hokkaido doesn’t even begin until late April into May.  The environment in Japan is so drastically different, so Sakura trees near the coast might bloom earlier or later then ones in mountainous area. So when following the yearly progression of the Sakura trees, keep all these factors in mind. There are many sites that have a somewhat accurate forecast of when the Sakura trees are in bloom. Here is an example of one for 2023, Japan Weather Co., Ltd.  When is Sakura Season in Japan? Sakura Season in Japan starts in Okinawa around the end of January. Mainland Japan starts to see the cherry blossoms around the end of March to early April while Hokkaido gets to experience Sakura season later, around the end of April to early May.  How Long is Sakura Season in Japan? Geographically speaking, Sakura season can be 4 months if you were to see them bloom in Okinawa and follow the blooms to Hokkaido. But in general, Sakura season is short and lasts about a week or two once the trees are in full bloom.  Is it worth visiting Japan for the Cherry Blossoms?  100%! There is a reason why so many people travel to Japan during this beautiful time of year. The Sakura trees in full bloom are absolutely beautiful. Visitors get to experience fun festivals and try exciting Sakura flavored treats. If you don’t like crowds, there are always secluded places and small villages that have Cherry Blossom trees. Sakura Season in Okinawa Late March to early April, visitors flock to mainland Japan for Sakura Season, but many people are unaware of the beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom on the Japanese island of Okinawa.  Sakura season in Okinawa begins much earlier then mainland Japan. Sakura season in Okinawa can be enjoyed starting late January and ending in early February.  Not only does Sakura season begin earlier in Okinawa, but even the cherry blossoms are different then those from mainland. The Sakura trees here tend to have a bright pink flower that points downward, compared to the white cherry blossoms on mainland. For photography, the pink flowers are easier to photograph since they point downward and are more dominant compared to the background.  If you live in Okinawa or are visiting this beautiful island for Sakura season, here are a few places I recommend going to in Okinawa for Sakura season.  Mt. Yaedake Mt. Yaedake is probably my favorite place in Okinawa for Cherry Blossom viewing, especially at Yaedake Sakuranomori Park. Sakuranomori Park has a childrens playground, meaning it is a great place for families. There are also trails that branch off of the parking lots and going down toward the valley and back up. There are two trails, each is usually never crowded with pockets of beautiful Sakura trees. It is at these trails that I photographed the Warbling White-Eye birds. For some reason, these birds love flying around and feeding off of the cherry blossom trees.  Nago Cherry Blossom Festival and Nago Castle Park In 2023, now that Covid-19 is somewhat a thing of the past, the Nago Cherry Blossom Festival was in full swing. Surprisingly this festival was a blast. Tons of food vendors, live entertainment, and lots of happy people! The festival takes place around the city of Nago. After enjoying food, drinks, and entertainment, walk past the festival to enjoy the mountainside full of cherry blossom trees. Nago Castle Park has around 20,000 Sakura trees.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇯🇵  Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖 🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗 🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars. Train Travel 🚂 🚊  For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site. 

If you are interested in seeing the Japanese Macaques but don’t have the time to wander around the wilderness looking for them, then I’d recommend visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama in Kyoto. Everyone is familiar with the famous snow monkeys soaking it up in the hot springs in Nagano Prefecture. But visiting the snow monkeys there can be time consuming and you have to be there during the appropriate season. Arashiyama Monkey Park is open all year long and is easily accessible, especially if visitors are already in Kyoto. From Arashiyama Station, it’s a quick walk to the park. Visitors can then hike to the top of the mountain and be greeted by numerous Japanese Macaques. Visitors can also experience feeding the monkeys fruits and peanuts. If you are interested in visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park and learning more about the Japanese macaques, this post outlines everything there is to know from getting to the park, feeding the monkeys, and monkey behavior to watch out for.  🐒  🇯🇵  How to Get to Arashiyama Monkey Park If staying in Kyoto, there are several ways to get to Arashiyama Monkey Park. Bus and train are the main public transportation options. Visitors can also rent bikes in Kyoto and cycle here like we did on our 2 Day Visit to Kyoto back in 2021.  🇯🇵  So how do you get to the Monkey Park in Kyoto by bus?  There are buses that run from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama Koen (Park). The bus from Kyoto Station usually takes around 45 minutes and costs ¥230 one-way.  Guide to Kyoto has a lot of great information on bus routes and fares around Kyoto.  Getting to Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama by local train. Getting to the monkey park by train is another cheap and easy option.  We found getting off at Hankyu Arashiyama Station was the closest station to Arashiyama Monkey Park. From here it was about a 10-15 minute walk.  If getting off at the JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, it’s about a 15-30 minute walk to Monkey Park Iwatayama.  The entrance to Arashiyama Monkey Park is just passed the Togetsu Small Bridge in Arashiyama. There should be signs pointing toward the monkey park entrance. Just in case, here are the coordinates from Google Maps: 35.0114824,135.6762837. Information About Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama Arashiyama Monkey Park also known as Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama, Monkey Park Iwatayama, or just Kyoto Monkey Park is a park in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. What makes this park unique is that visitors have a chance to see wild Japanese Macaques. Japanese Macaques are also known as Snow Monkeys, but this generally just refers to the Snow Monkeys at Jigokundani-Yaen-Koen, made famous by relaxing in hot springs during the cold winter months. When it is not winter in Japan, these monkeys are simply called Japanese Macaques. On our last trip to Kyoto, we visited Arashiyama Monkey Park and want to share our experiences and information that we learned both about the park and the Japanese Macaques themselves.  Admission and Hours Admission Adults – ¥600Children – ¥300 Hours 9:oo – 16:00 Daily In the event that the monkeys head back to the mountain for the day, the park will close early.  Arashiyama Monkey Park is closed on January 1.  Rules and Safety Information Around the Japanese Macaques Monkeys can be aggressive and unpredictable. We noticed many of the monkeys had bad scars and wounds from getting into altercations with other monkeys. Although rare, they are known to attack humans. There were several signs throughout the park providing visitors with safety information and what to do and not to do around the monkeys. Here are a few important safety tips when visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama. I feel like these safety tips are common sense and pretty straight forward, but in todays world, you never know!  Don’t stare directly into the monkeys eyes Don’t touch or harass the monkeys Don’t feed the monkeys other then food provided at the visitor center Keep a distance of 2 meters between you and the monkeys Avoid pointing your camera and phone directly at the monkeys Don’t crouch in front of them, especially when taking photos The Trail to Monkey Park Iwatayama Visiting the Monkey Park in Kyoto is definitely no walk in the park. The park, feeding site, and location where the monkeys tend to be is located at the top of a 160m hill.  There is a roundtrip trail that leads to the Monkey Park Iwatayama. I couldn’t find any information on the trail length but it took us between 20-30 minutes to reach the top. The trail was steep and muddy in spots but was very doable, even for smaller children. For those that have difficulty walking, it might be a challenge so keep that in mind. We visited Arashiyama Monkey Park in October so the weather was bearable. I couldn’t imagine doing this hike during the hot summer months.  Visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama Once the summit of the hill is reached, it’s relatively flat and easy to walk around. Visitors will notice wild monkeys running around. There are approximately 120 monkeys that call the area home and yes they are wild. The monkeys can freely come and go as they please, often times you will see them off in the distance sleeping or fighting in the trees and hillsides. Within the park there is a visitor center, pond, and amazing overlook with great views of Kyoto. Here monkeys freely run around, lounge on benches, play, fight, and sometimes can be curious enough to get close to visitors. There is quite a few staff members around Arashiyama Monkey Park, especially at the top. They were very helpful, polite, and made sure none of the visitors were harassing the monkeys and vice versa.  At Monkey Park Iwatayama, there is a hut in the middle of the park. The hut is more of a visitor center and place to safely feed the monkeys. Within the visitor center, there is information on the Japanese Macaques, a rest area, vending machines, and monkey food to purchase for feeding the monkeys. Feeding the Monkeys at Kyoto’s Monkey Park A major draw to visiting the Monkey Park in Kyoto, is that visitors get an opportunity to see and feed wild monkeys. Remember, it is prohibited to feed the monkeys outside food. But lucky for visitors like us, food to feed the monkeys can be purchased at the visitor center. For ¥100 a bag of either peanuts or apples can be purchased.  From the inside of the visitors center there are openings secured by wired fences large enough for the monkeys to stick there arms through to retrieve a treat. In this case, the roles are reversed. Us humans are caged inside feeding the wild monkeys on the outside. It was a fun experience getting to feed the Japanese Macaques. Do be careful as some of the larger males can become quite aggressive and chase of the smaller and younger monkeys.  Japanese Macaques Behavior and Characteristics Japanese Macaques, also known as “Snow Monkeys” are a species of monkey endemic to Japan. I don’t like referring the Japanese Macaque as the “Snow Monkeys” because this just refers to the Famous Hot Spring Monkeys in Nagano Prefecture. Otherwise, they are just known as Japanese Macaques and they thrive all year long, not just in winter.  The Japanese Macaques generally have a life span up to 30 years. They typically give birth between the months of April and July for those that are interested in seeing their cute babies a few months later.  From a lot of the signs posted throughout the park, I learned a lot about the Japanese Macaque. Below are some of the interesting facts I learnt about both their behavior and characteristics. At the time of birth, a Japanese Macaque baby weighs about 500g. The Japanese Macaque generally stops growing at the 10 year mark. Monkeys, like humans have unique fingerprints. Their front and hind legs are similar, allowing them to move around so well both on the ground and through the trees. Like humans, the monkeys have flat nails which allows them to grab items with ease. If you look closely at their rear end, you’ll notice two hard pads. These pads are hard skin like a callus and is used like a cushion while they sit down. Apparently the Japanese Macaques have 32 teeth. Like squirrels and chipmunks, the Japanese Macaque has a cheek pouch for storing food.  The Japanese Macaques are known for their red faces. The red color appears this way because of the blood vessels in the skin around the face. Younger macaques have a white face but it turns red as they grow older and mature.  🐒  Final Thoughts on Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama Visiting the Monkey Park in Kyoto was definitely a highlight for us. We fully intended to visit the Arashiyama Monkey Park our first time around in Kyoto but due to Covid-19, the park was closed on weekends to visitors. The wait and build up was worth it. Both Jill and I had an amazing time visiting the Monkey Park. It’s always a unique experience getting up close and personal to wild animals. We highly recommend visiting the park especially during the spring and fall months. 🙉  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇯🇵  Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖 🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗 🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars. **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support!

An Okinawa night hike has been on my to-do list since moving to the island. After all, Okinawa especially the jungles of Northern Okinawa in a region known as Yambaru has a rich biodiversity. Many animals in Yambaru exist only here and no other place on the planet to include the Okinawa Rail, Okinawa Woodpecker, Ryukyu Long Haired Rat, Spiny Rat, Ishikawa’s Frog, and Yanbaru Long Armed Scarab Beetle.  There is a fantastic photographer here in Okinawa that does guided night hikes and other excursions. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity on joining him for a night hike in Northern Okinawa. His incredible work can be found on his seawildearth website. He is a professional and led a guided tour that was one of the best experiences I’ve had to date. The hike itself was an adventure and the animals we saw were even more incredible.  Join me on an adventure as I bring awareness to hiking at night in Okinawa, how to prepare for a night hike, and share photos and information on the incredible wildlife encounters.  Okinawa Night Hike – Where to Start The night hike took place on a Friday, which is especially important because we were out past 3:00 am and had the following day to rest. We met in Yomitan and drove two hours north to Yanbaru National Park before turning right on a side rode and driving another 45 minutes to the trailhead.  Once at the trailhead, we hiked for about 1.5 hours before hitting the turning point. The trail itself was not very long nor difficult, but we made many pit stops to photograph wildlife.  After the hike, we made two stops alongside the road at locations known to our guide where unique species were generally found.  There are so many trails, hiking locations, and small pull offs within Yanbaru National Park, so it’s guaranteed you will spot some wildlife at night no matter where you are in Northern Okinawa.  Checklist – What to Bring Hiking at night in Northern Okinawa is no walk in the park. It takes planning, paying attention, and common sense. There are venomous snakes in Okinawa and other dangerous animals not to mention the terrain can be extreme with weather conditions being unpredictable at times. To help you better plan for an Okinawa night hike, here is a checklist of necessities.  Water Hat Light source (flashlight or headlamp) Good pair of hiking boots or rain boots Insect repellent Layers of clothes depending on weather and time of year Long pants Camera gear to include a good lens and flash for photography wildlife Wildlife Encountered Wildlife in Okinawa is truly unique. These endemic species exist here and nowhere else on the planet. Because of this, encroachment of humans, and the introduction of non-native species such as the mongoose and cat, wildlife numbers in Yambaru National Park are declining.  There are no large animals on the island besides wild boar who were also introduced to the island. Otherwise, most animals on the island are small. The animals in Okinawa may be on the smaller side but the biodiversity is rich.  Below are some of the animals we encountered on our night hike through the jungles of Northern Okinawa.  Frogs Ishikawa’s Frog Namie’s Frog Okinawa Green Tree Frog Okinawa Tip-nosed Frog Lizards and Newts Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko Okinawa Tree Lizard Sword Tailed Newt Snakes Hime Habu Ryukyu Odd Tooth Snake Spiders Okinawa Fishing Spider  Female Huntsman Spider with Egg Sack Insects Japanese Tiger Beetle Long Legged Centipede Mukade Shooting Wildlife at Night I must say, I am still new to photographing wildlife especially at night. During this hike, I used my Nikon D7500. At the time, I didn’t have any fancy lenses or flash. I have since bought a new macro lens and flash system in order to improve my night photography. I can see myself doing this a lot more now, so I made the decision to upgrade my equipment. I’ll most likely update the photos in this post as I encounter more wildlife and as my photography skills improve.  For shooting wildlife at night, I recommend shooting in manual mode and manual flash. This way you have control of the camera and can focus on what you want to take pictures of. Tripods are not necessary for photographing small animals at night as they tend to move around a lot.  Once I get more used to my new equipment, I will update this post with tips on proper settings and general shooting wildlife at night.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 

This year, Earth Day is on Thursday, April 22nd. Since Earth Day lies on a Thursday this year and we have been experiencing a lot of heavy rain and high winds due to Typhoon Surigae, we will be celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 24th. Those that know me probably know that I really enjoy picking up trash whether it be along the beach or a city trail. Now that I live in Okinawa, it only makes sense to go to various beaches near Okinawa City to help with beach clean up. Jill and I bought some trash tongs from Daiso (Local 100 Yen Shop) or as we call it “Trash Picker Uppers.” We tested our trash tongs out already at Nakajo Mall Ura Beach which is a nice beach that is 5 km away. We just filled up a bags worth of trash. We picked up everything imaginable – straws, shoes, rope, small plastic fragments, masks, etc. I can already see this year that littered face masks are a huge issue. It’s sad to see so many lying on the beach, I can only think to myself how irresponsible human beings are. What makes me even angrier is that although we picked up a ton of trash on that single beach there was still a lot left and we could go back the next day and fill up another trash bag while walking the same exact spots, it’s never ending. Regardless, I always feel great after picking up trash especially from the beaches, it feels like a scavenger hunt to me and it’s rewarding knowing that the trash I picked up won’t end up back in the ocean. Our Plan Back in August, we both got scuba certified in Iwakuni. I’ve been following the scuba program here at Okinawa and on the 24th of April they had a beach clean up event for Earth Day. Volunteers go to the Tsunami Scuba early Saturday morning get a specialty bag, fill it with trash from any beach of our choosing, and bring it back to Tsunami Scuba for a chance to be entered in a raffle to win a free scuba course!  We each get one specialty bag for trash pick up from Tsunami Scuba. But just because we only get one bag from them does not mean we can’t bring our own! Our plan is to go to the three beaches below (each beach and its location can be seen in the map above, desktop version) and each of us fill up a bag of trash. So at the end of the day we will fill up six trash bags.  Beaches: Nakajo Mall Ura Beach, Katsurenhaebaru Beach, and Teruma Beach   April 24, 2021 – Weather was not ideal, it was spritzing most of the day and was windy pretty much all day! We came prepared and had rain gear and wind breakers. We ended up going to all three beaches and managed to fill up our expected bags. On all beaches, we walked from one end to the other kind of picking up whatever possible. On the first beach, Nakajo Mall Ura Beach, we even spotted some locals out there collecting trash. For the most part on all the beaches, we picked up small plastic items, which are equally important as big items. The small plastics eventually get broken down into microplastics which is a huge problem affecting marine ecosystems. We picked up a lot of rope, most likely from fishing boats. Rope is also harmful to wildlife as they can get caught in it or the fibers from the rope can break down into smaller pieces. We also picked up a lot of fishing equipment, to include: fishing line, lures, bobbers and styrofoam from buoys. Although we spent most of the day picking up trash from the beaches, we did have a nice time enjoying the beauty of the land. Katsurenhaebaru Beach which was the second one we visited was absolutely gorgeous and a quick drive from home. The beach was secluded and had several small rock islands that were picture perfect. I’ll bring my big camera out here next time for some quality photos. We didn’t really find or pick up any odd or unique items. It was the usual suspects, bottles, cans, micro plastics, styrofoam, and rope/twine. We did find what looked like some sort of tracking device and a pair of what looked to be new male underwear, but that was kind of it.  [envira-gallery id=”3879″] Animal wise, we spotted some fun hermit crabs and regular crabs on the beaches. We found a sea slug who washed up, it was low tide. I brought him or her back to the water hoping I saved its life. We also came across a huge snail. His shell was cracked a bit probably from smashing against a rock, but he was still alive and moving.  [envira-gallery id=”3872″] Counts In total, we picked up 32 lbs. of trash (14.5 kilos) from the three beaches. Below is a breakdown of some specific items we collected. This doesn’t include all the small broken down plastic items, Styrofoam, ropes, clothing materials, etc.  Bottles – 28 Bottle Caps – 108 Cans – 11 Cigarette butts – 26 Fishing Lures – 7 Golf Balls –  6 Masks – 2 Straws – 8 We pick up trash all the time, not only on Earth Day. Although, Earth Day is great motivation to get out there and do a bit more. We decided for now on that we’ll always carry trash bags in our car and when we hit the beaches, before we leave we’ll fill a bag of trash and be on our way. It’s sad how many trash items are found on the beaches. You would think that Japan, being a very clean country would have spotless beaches, but unfortunately that is not the case. I could only imagine how dirty some beaches are in other places around the world. All I can say is that both Jill and I do our part. We do what we can, and it is a very rewarding experience. I like to think that the straw I pick up won’t end up in a sea turtles nose, or that rope I pick up won’t get wrapped around the neck of a bird. As humans, we have a lot of work to do in order to clean up our planet. We shouldn’t have just one day a year (Earth Day) to clean beaches and give back to the planet. Every day should be Earth Day. 

Located on the tropical island of Okinawa on the Motobu Peninsula is Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is the most well known aquarium in Japan and is considered to be one of the largest aquariums in the world. With its stunning exhibits, this aquarium is home to the Kuroshio Tank which houses a massive whale shark, manta rays, and several large fish species. When visiting Okinawa, visitors flock to the Churaumi Aquarium to see the giant whale shark peacefully swimming around their giant tank. From various shark species to local coral from the Okinawan Islands and countless species of fish, every exhibit here offers spectacular views of the beautiful marine wildlife that surrounds Okinawa and our expansive oceans.  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Information about Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Hours The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium opens daily from 8:30 to 18:30 (October – February) and 8:30 to 20:00 (March – September). Entrance Fee Adults – ¥2,180 High School Students – ¥1,440 Elementary and Junior High School Students – ¥710 Children 6 and Under – Free For more information regarding times and prices, I recommend visiting the  Churaumi Aquarium’s website. Parking at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is free at the aquarium. There is a massive parking garage and open  parking lots around Kaiyohaku Park. The aquarium is scattered throughout 4 floors and was the biggest aquarium in the world until it was surpassed by the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. I did read that the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Theme Park in China is bigger as is the S.E.A. Aquarium in Singapore.   Tanks and Exhibits Throughout the Aquarium The Okinawa Churaumi  Aquarium stood out to me because many of the tanks were exhibits of local marine wildlife off the shores of Okinawa. The first display at the aquarium was a hands on aquarium, where people can touch the star fish and other critters. I am sure the starfish love getting grabbed by thousands of people each day.  After passing the tidal pool there are several large tanks showcasing coral and fish species. Some of the larger tanks up front had decent sized groupers and fugu which is the Japanese name for blowfish. Like most aquariums, there were hallways full of smaller tanks with unique species and jellyfish. We kind of winded our way through the crowded halls until we reached the Kuroshio Sea Tank. Kuroshio Sea Tank The main tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, is home to two Whale Sharks (Sadly, one passed away since I wrote this) and a large number of Manta Rays. Whale Sharks are the largest fish species on the planet. Male whale sharks average about 8 to 10 meters in length and can weigh around 15 tons. Although these sharks are massive in size, they are relatively slow swimmers and are pretty harmless. The whale shark is a filter feeder, feeding primarily on plankton and other tiny organisms floating in the water.   There is a café/restaurant here where you can dine and watch the sharks swim by you, pretty cool! Jill and I were both wondering how thick the glass was between us and the whale sharks. Turns out there was a display there showing us the thickness and it’s around 60 centimeters or 2 feet thick. By the way, the tank is 7,500,000 liters, so pretty big. But I guess it has to be if it is home to the largest fish in the world.  Shark Research Lab Right by the Kuroshio Sea Tank, there was a room and tank dedicated to sharks. This area was the Shark Research Lab. This room had a large tank with several different species of sharks. The sharks were on the smaller side. A few years ago they tried introducing a Great White Shark at the aquarium but unfortunately it died a few days later, people were not happy about this! Now they have smaller shark species that are capable of adapting to the aquarium lifestyle! Apart from the shark tank, there are several TV’s with videos on sharks and many descriptions around the room regarding sharks to include detailed information about the Whale Sharks.  Main Rest House (Churaumi Plaza) After starring at Whale Sharks for an hour at the Kuroshio Sea Tank, we meandered through the aquarium viewing fish from the bottom depths of the ocean. Afterwards we then ended up in a gigantic room called the Churaumi Plaza, showcasing displays of odd and unique species from the area. Unique species included a preserved body of the basking shark, great white shark, and megamouth shark. To me, this area felt more like a museum then aquarium. But you go to the aquarium to obviously look at fish but also to learn about marine wildlife and their habitats. So I enjoyed combing through displays full of information here and learning about all the marine life in the Okinawa area.  Outside Aquariums at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium After browsing the Churaumi Plaza we found ourselves leaving the aquarium and heading outside. From here they have more aquatic tanks with animals to include manatees, sea turtles, and dolphins. I felt the manatee tanks were pretty sad and boring. I hope they had more to their tanks then what were shown. Regarding the dolphins, they have two types here the common bottlenose dolphin and one I never heard of called the False Killer Whale (according to Wikipedia). Dolphins are extremely intelligent. In fact, they had a dolphin brain on display at the aquarium and it looked like a human brain. Apparently the false killer whales adapt nicely to being in captivity but I am still not a fan of seeing them in captivity. Yeah, it is neat to see how smart they are and how acrobatic they can be, but I feel they would be much happier swimming in the ocean with their friends. But I guess you can say that for all animals both in aquariums and in zoos. I do feel sorry for animals in captivity, I can’t help but think that obviously most animals would be happier in the wild. I know in the wild, whale sharks travel thousands of miles every year and yet the ones here swim in circles year after year. I can’t help but feel sorry for them but at the same time I do think it is important for us to research various species to better understand them to hopefully protect them. As long as they are cared for and fed, I hope they are happy. I know that the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium does a lot of scientific research to better understand all these amazing creatures. Conclusion A visit to Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium offers an incredible experience to get up close and personal to the beautiful marine wildlife found around Okinawa and our oceans. From viewing the massive whale shark and manta rays in the Kuroshio Sea Tank to seeing the vibrantly beautiful coral reef collections at the coral reef gallery this aquarium is well suited to all visitors of all ages. Whether you are into marine wildlife or looking for an indoor place to spend the day, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is a must when visiting Okinawa.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇯🇵  Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖️🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars. Train Travel 🚂🚊  For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site.