Sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro

Recently I visited the Sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, for the first time. I didn't expect too much according to what I had heard about it but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Enjoying aquatic wildlife indoors and outdoors

Although the aquarium is not that huge, they have a lot of interesting fish and other aquatic wildlife to look at. There also was a show with a diver in one of the bigger pools where they introduced different kinds of fish.

There are also is an outdoor area where you can enjoy watching penguins, otters, pelicans and sea lions. When I went outside there even was an ant bear being showcased by one of the animal keepers. The outdoor area is really nice for taking photos as it is not as dark as inside the building. The pelican pool is especially interesting as it is built on pillars and you can see the pelicans swimming above your head through a kind of transparent tunnel filled with water. At certain times there also are sea lions shows where you can see them do some funny tricks.

The inside area of the aquarium was not much different from what I had seen in other aquariums in Japan but the outside area really had some interesting ideas. I was glad that it didn't rain on the day I visited.  You might think that an aquarium is a good choice for rainy weather but in Ikebukuro, you would lose on half the fun.

Turtle races

During the time I visited they also did an interesting event on the rooftop. There was a small green table, similar to a billiard table, which was used for turtle races. They were held twice per day and 10 turtles were racing against each other. They all had small number plates attached to their backs.

The visitors of the aquarium could choose one turtle they are rooting for. If you chose the winning turtle you would get a small price. Participation was completely free.

Unfortunately, the turtle I chose didn't win, but watching the race and cheering for "my turtle" was quite fun. As it didn't cost any extra money I think this event is a nice add on to the overall experience especially for families visiting with children.

Unfortunately, it was a limited time event and is over by now but I guess they will do it again next year.

Summary

Overall I can recommend the aquarium even for people that already went to the Sumida aquarium close to Tokyo Skytree. I wonder why it took me so long to finally visit it as I have been living in Tokyo for quite some time now.

If you have some more time to spare in Ikebukuro you can also visit the Sunshine 60 Observatory. You can get a nice view of Tokyo and they also have some interesting VR attractions. There is a combined ticket for the observatory and the aquarium available that is a little cheaper than buying both tickets separately.