Ashizuri Underwater Aquarium — Attraction in Tosashimizu

So Japanese, this place! We visited in a gale, so we got a heavily discounted price (basically, peanuts). Despite the turbulent waters, there was still plenty to see. An interesting contrast between the west-north quadrant and the east-south one. Prevailing winds and currents (presumably - I’m no oceanographer) allow no growth of plant life around the former facing portholes, but considerable growth around latter. It’s interesting to watch fish of various sizes riding the swells so easily to nibble on their...

Spectacular!! It felt like being in Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

Awesome to see all the underwater life in its natural habitat. The fish sway in the current, school together, and even interact. (I watched a cleaner wrasse try to nibble other fish but he was rejected by everyone. Poor guy.) So much happens just below the waves that we usually can't see.

I visited on a late weekday afternoon (November), and had the whole place to myself. So I could admire the fish through the portholes...

I really enjoyed this place! I am the type of person who does not visit conventional aquariums as I believe it is cruel for the fish to be kept in tanks, however this place is like a reverse aquarium where you descend to the sea floor and observe the fish in their natural habitat. The fish are free to come and go as they please because they are all wild. It's like scuba diving without getting wet! It is...