Uozu Aquarium opened on September 21, 1913, on the Sea of Japan coast in Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, making it the oldest aquarium in Japan still in operation. It began life as a feature of the 1913 Eight Prefectures Exhibition before passing to the town of Uozu the following year, and it survived a wartime closure in 1944, when the building was repurposed as a fish processing plant, before reopening in 1954 and moving into its current building in April 1981.
Today the aquarium displays roughly 330 species and around 10,000 animals across exhibits themed around the rivers, rice fields, and deep and surface waters of Toyama Bay. Its best-known feature is an acrylic tunnel running through the Toyama Bay Giant Tank, marketed at the site’s 2013 centennial as the first tunnel of its kind built anywhere in the world, following its original debut decades earlier as the first shark tunnel built in Japan.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, Japan
- Original opening: September 21, 1913
- Current building opened: April 10, 1981
- Total tank volume: About 450,000 liters (119,000 US gallons)
- Largest tank: Toyama Bay Giant Tank, 240,000 liters
- Species: About 330
- Animals: About 10,000
- Famous for: Japan’s first shark tunnel, later promoted as the world’s first acrylic aquarium tunnel
A Tunnel a Century in the Making
The aquarium’s signature exhibit sent visitors through an acrylic tunnel running the length of the Toyama Bay Giant Tank, a 240,000-liter display stocked with species from the bay just outside. When it was first built, it stood as the first shark tunnel constructed in Japan, and when the aquarium marked its 100th anniversary in 2013, a sign was added proclaiming the tunnel the first acrylic aquarium tunnel of its kind anywhere in the world.
Beyond the tunnel, exhibit areas traced the path of water through the region, from the Rivers of Toyama and the biodiversity of local rice fields down to the deep and surface layers of Toyama Bay, alongside a jungle ecosystem room, a coral reef area, a penguin pool, and a touch pool for younger visitors.
Surviving War and Rebuilding Twice
The original aquarium’s run was interrupted by the Pacific War, when the facility closed in March 1944 and its building was converted into a fish processing plant. It took nearly a decade for the city to commit to bringing an aquarium back to the site: construction began in September 1953 for the Toyama Industrial Exposition despite pushback from the local fishing industry, and a rebuilt aquarium opened by April 1954.
That second aquarium gave way to the current, third building, which opened on April 10, 1981, and went on to win an architectural award from the Toyama Society of Architects and Building Engineers that same year. The facility is registered as a museum under Japan’s Museum Act through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
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Uozu Aquarium FAQs
Is Uozu Aquarium the oldest aquarium in Japan?
Yes. Uozu Aquarium traces its origin to September 21, 1913, and is recognized as the oldest aquarium in Japan still operating today, though the current building dates to 1981 after two earlier rebuilds.
What is Uozu Aquarium best known for?
Its acrylic tunnel through the Toyama Bay Giant Tank, which was the first shark tunnel built in Japan and was later promoted at the aquarium’s 2013 centennial as the first acrylic tunnel of its kind in the world.
How many animals and species does Uozu Aquarium have?
The aquarium displays around 330 species and roughly 10,000 animals, with exhibits focused on the rivers, rice fields, and waters of Toyama Bay.
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Photo: 極地狐 / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.