Nakagawa Suiyuen

photo by Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by CyberOyaji · CC BY-SA 3.0

It is the largest river aquarium in Japan and the only aquarium in the whole of Tochigi Prefecture, with 330 species ranging from the Naka River to the Amazon and on to the sea.

The building, opened on 15 July 2001 in Ōtawara, was designed by the architect Furuichi Tetsuo and received the Japan Institute of Architects award. The heart of the exhibition is the large Amazon tank, with a viewing tunnel running through it; it holds about 100 species, from a 2 cm fish to the pirarucu, which grows over 2 metres. Among the facility's animals there is also a capybara called Chachamaru.

Freshwater aquarium in Ōtawara (Tochigi), along the Naka River. It opened on 15 July 2001; the building was designed by the architect Furuichi Tetsuo and received an award from the Japan Institute of Architects (JIA). It is described as ‘the largest river aquarium in Japan’ (日本最大級の川の水族館, editorial source) and is the only aquarium in the whole of Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県唯一の水族館, source: the prefecture's official tourism portal). Its roughly 60 tanks display 330 species, from the Naka River to the Amazon and on to the sea, lit by natural light that filters through windows in the ceiling. Address: 栃木県大田原市佐良土2686.

ℹ️ Open 9:30–16:30 (last entry at 16:00). Closed on Mondays (the following day if Monday is a public holiday), on the fourth Thursday of the month (open if that day is a public holiday), in the first week of January for maintenance and for a period in summer (exact dates not given by the source). Tickets: adults (high school and above) 900 yen, 700 yen in groups of 20+; children (elementary school to junior high) 300 yen, 200 yen in a group; free below elementary school age. Annual pass 2,500 yen adults, 1,000 yen children. Free car park for about 700 cars. Access: about 40 minutes by regional bus from Nishi-Nasushiobara (Tasuku bus stop + 5 minutes on foot), or 40–45 minutes by car from the motorway interchange.

🚉 田宿 · 16 min walk

Sources: nasu-gardenoutlet.com · tochigiji.or.jp · ja.wikipedia.org · nominatim.openstreetmap.org

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