Yokohama hakkeijima sea paradise is a big attraction although their mammals’ exhibit is fairly small. There are a lot of creature that are new for me. As a result, I spend a full five hours in the aquarium.
Yokohama hakkeijima sea paradise is divided into four parts, Aqua museum, Dolphin Fantasy, Umi Farm, and Fureal Lagoon. As the time is not enough, I didn’t visit Umi Farm because there seems like not have animal exhibit. Just fishing and taking a boat ride. (Am I wrong,devilfish?)
First building was the”Aqua museum” with eight different zones. After passing the Welcoming pool with yellow tang and orange spotted goby digging sand, we entered the first zone, Animals that returned to the sea. Three exhibits are here for southern rockhopper penguin, gray seal, and sea otter. The mammals’ exhibit is on the small side but they are very active because it is feeding time. I see the sea otter holding a fish in his hand and then eat it.
Next zone is call Popular arctic sea creatures with polar bear, walruses, and penguins (They geography is very well).As usual, their mammals’ exhibit is on the small side too. The penguin exhibit is housing king, Gentoo, magellanic, and adelie and their exhibit is OK.
The third zone, A cloud of fish swimming in schools, is a large tank which holds a bunch of Japanese sardine (at least thousands of them),sand tiger shark, and some types of ray. There is then an escalator tube that goes through the exhibit and takes us to the third floor.
The fourth zone, the world of sea life started with a pool with crabs and mudskipper. After the Japanese spider crab tank, lots of jellyfish tanks was on the wall. Also on the wall, is lots of species that can be seen in the species list. Also there is a tank with red light holding moray eel. I miss the shark tank is also probably in here(jealous at devilfish).
Then we enter the fifth zone, beautiful flowers of the sea. ”Nemo” and “Dory” are in here too. But for me, the highlights here are the stonefish and frogfish. In here, you can also look down to the mammals’ exhibit. As we walk towards the sunlight, a bunch of tank where the sign said weird fish. The electric eel tank is barren, a tank with nothing except an electric eel and water. Also there is archer fish, razorfish, and other weird fishy, one is still unidentified.
Sunlight is here when we enter the sixth zone, named the seashore, river and marsh creatures. First tank is a clear tank that house green sea turtle and a bunch of fish. Then I exit the zone to see the show and the deep sea creature. The show is impressive, with beluga, pacific white side dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, walrus, false killer whale, California sea lion, magellanic penguin. Also swimming in the show tank is the main highlights, the whale shark. It is swimming anti clockwise near the surface.
After the show, I went to seventh zone to see some deep sea creature. No goblin shark nor frilled shark ( but a model of them) I did see my first giant isopod. Also lots of deep sea creature on my species list. The exhibit is very cold that I need to wipe the glass to see them.
Returning to the sixth zone, is a fairly tropical area holding river animals. Piranha, catfish and capybara are here. Then we exit the Aqua museum and went to the Fureal lagoon.
Fureal lagoon is a place that you can get very close to the animals. Three tank holding beluga, short finned pilot whale, and bottlenose dolphin is the first we can touch. Sadly the animals didn’t swim close enough to touch but a touch one before so it is OK. The enclosure is small, though. Then we entered the friendly circle, which keeper will take an animals out(either sea lion or penguin) and we can touch them. This time was a penguin that is with feather. I touch it and it was featherish. Then is the flapper beach where you can see( but not touch) walrus, sea lion, spotted seal, and cape penguin. There is also a breathing hole type of thing that the seal swim up. At last is a place where you can touch sea star and sea cucumber.
Seeing time is not enough, I skipped the Umi farm and go to Dolphin fantasy .Only two exhibit is there, one for bottlenose dolphin and one for commerson’s dolphin. The bottlenose dolphin tank is an arch-shaped pool that is a bit small for them. The commerson’s dolphin tank is a cylindrical tank that holds sunfish before. ( Commerson’s dolphin is rare in captivity, and only four aquarium have them, three are in Japan and these black and white dolphin are the panda of the sea)
So that’s it, I go there in three o clock and leave at eight o clock. In conclusion, Yokohama hakkeijima sea paradise is a great aquarium, but the mammals enclosure there are a bit small.