This place provides a mixed experience. First of all the pros. There is a reasonable selection of nice animals including otters, octopuses, jellyfish, seals, dolphins and various fish including some rays and sharks. About half the tanks are really nice to look at. Small sized place which I saw all of within an hour and a half going at a leisurely pace, so it's perfect for kids under 5 of which there were many today when I visited. Cons: it's a considerable hike from the train. If you're bringing small kids maybe don't expect them to walk; use a bus or taxi. Not many "wow" animals if you're into spectacle. And of course the biggest con as others have said: the conditions are crowded and many tanks need better maintenance. A fair amount of algae. One or two dead, such as a giant isopod. Pieces of dismembered crab shell in a crab tank so it had been cannibalised. Sea turtle tank pitiful. Coati in a poky space above the little Amazon tank containing huge arapaimas and stuff. Iguana looked deeply depressed in a little box. Little to no enrichment generally. And of course like all aquariums here, there are dolphins performing shows which you no doubt will have an opinion about. But. Guys. This is Japan. Animal rights are not a thing here, really. Especially for cold-blooded animals or animals which are considered edible. The visitors at all aquariums in Japan are always oohing and aahing at how delicious the exhibits look. And to top it all, this is a rural aquarium in a part of the country which sees less tourism than places like Tokyo or Osaka. They are not catering to Westerners here and they don't care about your definition of animal cruelty. If you come here, do so with that in mind. If you want a more modern, bigger, better-kept aquarium, the ones in the big cities are where you should head.