The Aqua Stadium is a new aquarium in the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Complex. When it first opened, there were a lot of advertisements, it looked great. Don't let the advertisements fool you like they did me. Do not go to this aquarium, you will be very disappointed. Although it looks larger from the outside, and there is a fancy parking lot,... this is actually a very small aquarium. Most of the space is used for a dolphin performance pool and a sea lion show. The dolphins and trainers were not used to working with one another and the show was not up to par with others I have seen. The sea lion show was also pretty standard.
We visited the dolphin show first as it was about to start when we entered the aquarium. Little did we know that the few tanks we passed on our way there were most of the exhibits. All in all, I was not at all impressed, especially concerning the entrance fee of 1800 yen for adults, 1000 yen for ages 7 to 15, and 600 yen for ages 4 - 6.
One of the advantages stressed by this aquarium is that it is open late, that is the only impressive thing about it.
Hours of Operation: M-F: 12:00 - 22:00, Saturday: 10:00 - 22:00, Sunday and Holidays: 10:00 - 21:00.
Address: Takanawa 4-10-30, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8611, inside the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Complex. Phone: 03-5421-1111
Access: Directly across from Shinagawa Station. They also have a lot of paid parking.
There is a display on the shoreline of the Kanto area, a kelp forest, a focus on the 'Sea of Tokyo',... There are also exhibits focusing on other oceans of the world, and the penguin exhibit is Japan's largest.
Upon exiting the main building, I thought I'd seen everything. I was pleasantly surprised by a final exhibit called 'Nature Along the Water's Edge'. In the grounds outside the aquarium, they have recreated a natural setting of streams and freshwater ponds mimicing those found around the Kanto area. There was even a huge grassy lawn where fish kites could be flown. The kites were just laying in the grass for anyone to play with.