Kaiyukan

If there is one thing to do in Osaka, in my opinion, it is to go to the aquarium.  It is - hands down - the best aquarium I have ever been to.  Every time I go there, I confirm this belief.  Today, I did that again.

My husband had to work hard to get us behind the scenes tours, as they told him they don't let foreigners on the tour because "they won't understand the tour guide."  After pointing out that we were very aware that the tour would be in Japanese and were not expecting them to provide English anything, he finally convinced them to let us go on the tour.  My husband and I went on the tour years ago and have always wanted to go again because it was so interesting.  You have to pay an extra ¥1,000 on top of the entrance fee, but it is 1000% worth it!

We entered the aquarium a half hour before it opened with the rest of the tour group.  Only 20 people can go each day.  So, it is a relatively small group.  They tell interesting facts and stories about the fish, animals, and facilities. 

After we wandered around a bit, we are taken up above the largest tank in the aquarium to watch them feed the whale sharks and other fish.  For the whale shark, the staff tap a large scoop on the top of the water and wait for the whale shark to come over.  When it arrives (pretty quickly since it knows it is breakfast time), they put large scoops of shrimp into the water right next to the whale shark's mouth.  It opens wide and all the shrimp go rushing into it's mouth.  I wish they allowed cameras on this part of the tour because it is so neat to see, but alas they do not.

After we are done watching them feed the fish, we finish up the tour by proceeding through the rest of the permanent exhibits. 

My husband translated here and there, sharing interesting facts and stories.  Without him, we would have enjoyed seeing everything without the added information.  But with his help, we had an ever better time.  The temporary exhibit was weird fish that were, well, weird. I always like seeing new and interesting stuff and these fish definitely fit the bill.

It was sad to be done with the aquarium, because I could spend all day there.  But the crowds do get to be a bit much for me.  So, it was time to go.  Plus, we were all getting a bit hungry.

We grabbed ramen for a quick lunch and then proceeded to the Tempozan.  This ferris wheel is one of the biggest in the world!  It is a staggering 112.5 meters high!  As a person who is afraid of heights, it is terrifying.  However, I will not let that stop me, so I held on with white knuckles and went for it.  If I was going to die, at least it would be doing something interesting!  With lots of deep breaths, I enjoyed our 20 minute ride around the wheel even though I wouldn't let anyone move just in case they rocked our capsule.

After the death defying ride, it was time to wander back to Tokyo.  We were all more than tired, evident by the short tempers all around.  Once on the Shinkansen, everyone slept at least for a short while, which helped us get the last bit home.