Sumida Aquarium

In short

Sumida Aquarium is an aquarium located on the 5th and 6th floors of Tokyo Solamachi in Tokyo Skytree Town. It is known for its large tank themed on the sea of the Ogasawara Islands, a World Natural Heritage site, and its indoor open pool where visitors can share the same space with penguins.

• ​Ogasawara Tank​​: A large tank representing the sea of the Ogasawara Islands, where about 450 fish of roughly 45 species swim. The clear blue water color known as "Bonin Blue" is also a distinctive feature.
• ​Penguin Pool​​: An indoor open pool holding about 350 tons of water, where Magellanic penguins live.
• ​Big Schale​​: An elliptical basin tank with a major axis of 7 meters, where around 500 moon jellyfish drift.

History and Highlights

​Sumida Aquarium​ is an aquarium located on the 5th and 6th floors of Tokyo Solamachi in Tokyo Skytree Town. Based on the philosophy of "The closer you get, the more you will love them," it provides a space where visitors can experience the lives of creatures and how the staff cares for them just as they are.

As an inland aquarium located away from the sea, it fills its tanks with 100% artificial seawater. The artificial seawater is produced and circulated by equipment inside the facility.

The entrance is on the 5th floor, and visitors first go up to the 6th floor via stairs. The first area to welcome visitors is "Natural Aquascene," a tank where aquatic plants and living creatures circulate together. The 6th and 5th floors are connected by the "Kaleidoscope Tunnel," formed by mirrors and lighting.

One of the highlights is the "Ogasawara Tank," which depicts the sea of the Ogasawara Islands. Around 450 fish of about 45 species swim here. The Ogasawara Islands are a group of islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean roughly 1,000 kilometers south of central Tokyo and were inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2011. Since its opening in 2012, the aquarium has maintained an ongoing exchange with Ogasawara Village. The deep blue water color of the large tank, "Bonin Blue," was recreated with the cooperation of Ogasawara Village. The sand tiger shark swimming inside the tank lives only in the waters near the Ogasawara Islands within Japan.

Viewing and Experience Points

• ​Sharing the Space with Penguins​​: Magellanic penguins live in an indoor open pool holding about 350 tons of water. With a two-story atrium structure, visitors can observe them swimming from above on the 6th floor, as well as from the side and from below on the 5th floor. During the day, it is illuminated with brightness close to natural light, while at night, visitors can see them sleeping under dim lighting.
• ​Big Schale​​: An elliptical basin tank with a major axis of 7 meters, where about 500 moon jellyfish drift. Because the top is open, visitors can view the jellyfish directly rather than through acrylic panels. All jellyfish in the aquarium were born at Sumida Aquarium.
• ​Aqua Scope​​: A row of small round windows is lined up behind the Ogasawara Tank. Peeking through the windows gives visitors the feeling of diving into the sea.

Tips for Exploring

Other exhibits include "Edorium," a goldfish display area extending roughly 100 meters, and the "Fur Seal Tunnel," where visitors can look up into the fur seal pool from below. The "Kitchen," where food for the creatures is prepared, and the "Lab," where jellyfish are reared, can also be viewed up close. It is about a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Skytree Station. It can be visited together with the observation decks of Tokyo Skytree, located in the same Tokyo Skytree Town.