Japan Day 2 - Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium

Since we arrived rather late in our hotel the night before, we also started out a bit late the next day (October 14), around 10am. Our first destination was the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium.

At Nagoya Station - a lot of people waiting for the train

That's one of my brothers standing on the left. Some people say he looks like me, but I'm prettier, hehe. :-P

Transferring to another train line for Nagoya Port

You need to ride two train lines to arrive at Nagoya Port, where the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium is. In the train stations, you often have to use the stairs when going to another train line, although there is usually an elevator somewhere (it may not be as easy to see as the stairs). Both of my sisters brought umbrella strollers so they were easy to fold when we needed to use the stairs (my husband and I didn't bring any stroller). There are also some escalators available, usually for going up.

The 2nd train we rode on didn't have too many people in it, so we were all able to sit. Typically, during rush hour and in busy stations, you won't be able to take a seat on the train.

The girls - with my nephew at the rightmost 

Finally, we arrived!

Port of Nagoya Aquarium sign

Still a bit of walk to the aquarium

At the ticket booth - I'm not on the picture since I'm the one who lined up to buy our tickets

Tickets to the aquarium cost 2,000 yen per adult and 500 yen for children 4 and up. Kids below 4 are free of charge. The Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium is pretty big, with 2 buildings that have 3 floors each. We had a great time in the aquarium, walking around, seeing all the sea creatures and watching the dolphin show. They have movie shows too, but we skipped those since they were all in Japanese.

These orcas sure know how to pose! 

It's like they know when someone's taking a picture of them.

Lots of students having their field trip

Beautiful day at the aquarium

You can see that there's an amusement part near the aquarium (with a Ferris Wheel), but we didn't go there anymore.

With my sweet daughter

Dolphins getting ready for the show

The highlight of our visit here was definitely the dolphin show. The kids really enjoyed, especially my 6-year old son, who couldn't stop talking and cheering the whole time.

We're on TV!

Even if you're seated at the back, you won't miss anything with their large screen TV

Wonderful dolphin show!

For lunch, the aquarium had a few restaurants, but we opted to eat at the Food Court Tortoise in the 3rd floor south building because it was more affordable. It had a lot of choices, including curry rice meals, yum! You purchase your food ticket at the vending machine in front, then hand it over to the staff at the counter to get your food. The food was pretty good. :)

The food choices here have English translations :)

Tip: If you go to a restaurant and they give you a Japanese menu, do request for an English menu. Most restaurants have them. If they cannot understand when you say "english menu," use this phrase in Japanese: "eigo no menyu ga arimasu ka?" (which translates to "Do you have an English menu?") 

Buying our food tickets

Yum! Ready to eat!

We occupied a long table

The food court had a nice view of Nagoya port

 After lunch, we continued walking around the place.

Even the turtles know how to pose! 

Beluga whale!

Tornado of sardines

Penguins! 

 And before we left the place, my mom had to get a souvenir from the aquarium.

One for my mom's coin collection

Breezy afternoon outside the aquarium

And finally, we finished our trip to Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. We headed back to the train station to go to our next stop - Oasis 21, which will be featured in my next Japan post, along with our dinner at Ichiran, which is famous for its yummy ramen! Ichiran is definitely a must try for both the ramen and the experience, and it has branches all over Japan. :)