We rang in December with a trip to Churaumi Aquarium near the city of Nago. We look forward to good weather on the weekends, but Okinawa can be an unpredictable place. The forecast called for a chance of rain and winds, but check out the sky on our drive:
We were tempted to turn around, but I really wanted to see the aquarium and Ryan indulged me. He hadn't been to it either, but sometimes the pull of the water can distract, even from the opportunity to see a whale shark. I consoled him by pointing out the dark clouds approaching from the east (the right of the photo).
The trip to the aquarium is very easy. You can zip up the expressway, which we did, all the way to Nago, or you can take 58 which is a little more scenic but a LOT slower. We opted to just get there. It was a Saturday, which is a day off for the military but a work day for most of Okinawa. Once you hit Nago, there are LOTS of signs for the aquarium, or the Ocean Expo Park. Note vending machines on the left.
After figuring out where to park (there are nine parking lots for the aquarium, all clearly marked in kanji), we purchased our tickets and followed masses. There were lots of people directing traffic and overhead announcements much like Disney, but everything was in Japanese. We figured most of us were all there to see the same thing, so following people who looked like they knew Japanese seemed like a good strategy. On a personal note, I've never had the chance to feel like a minority, not even when I worked in Mexico for over three months. I guess I felt like I belonged there because I had a working knowledge of Spanish and had gotten to know some of the people in the little village. Walking into the aquarium, following a sea of brunettes, most of whom were my height or shorter, I DEFINITELY felt as though I stood out, and in an obnoxious way. Not sure if Ryan has had this experience and become accustomed to it, but it was something I absolutely noticed on this day.
Once we entered the first area, the coral reef, no one payed attention to anyone else. The aquariums were HUGE and rife with corals, sea creatures, and fish of all shapes, sizes and colors (and flavors. I tend to think of the Aquarium as a big seafood buffet, give me a spear and skillet and I would be in business!). Not having been in the water as of yet, I was eager to see the variety of life that I might be lucky to see on a snorkeling trip. The water was clear and the displays absolutely beautiful. I can't even begin to list everything we saw in the reef display, but I can offer a montage of some of my better shots.
The pièce de résistance of the aquarium, and what made Churaumi the largest aquarium in the world until Atlanta in 2005 and Singapore just this year, is the large tank housing large sea organisms that are common in the waters throughout the Ryukyu archipelago. There are many views in the tank, but I like this one:
Ryan has seen one manta ray in the waters of Okinawa since his arrival over the summer. He was snorkeling and saw a small one, but probably an impressive find nonetheless. I was jealous. There are also whale shark tours, as the whale sharks migrate through the Ryukyus twice a year. I would love, love, love to see both manta rays and whale sharks, but I think I might permanently soil whatever I happen to be wearing.
There is a portion of the tank that reminds me of the Shark Encounter at Sea World Orlando. It is a small room built like an amphitheater, and the roof is underneath the tank. You can sit there and watch the other fish and rays milling along the bottom of the tank, and every now and then a huge shadow obscures the light:
It was a very impressive aquarium, although there were a few sad spots. The sea turtles and the manatees were housed in barren cement tanks with nothing other than a viewing window for the public. The green sea turtle was in a cylindrical tank that could not have been more than 6-feet in diameter, and the lone green sea turtle hovered around the viewing window. There were four manatees, and we saw them during feeding time. Again, just two large cement tanks: one for the two males and one for the two females. All four of the manatees had been donated to the aquarium by Mexico. While the aquarium is impressive and has admirable displays in many respects, there is also room for improvement.
My favorite of the entire day were the garden eels. There is currently one smiling at me from the side of my refrigerator, thanks to the gift shop.
Ryan is a man who thinks with his belly, and his favorite was the HUGE grouper we saw in the very first tank of the reef display. There isn't much in terms of scale I can offer in these photos, but the garden eels are the thickness of a wooden pencil, and the grouper was as wide as Ryan and I put together. "Massive" is appropriate, I think.
We were tempted to turn around, but I really wanted to see the aquarium and Ryan indulged me. He hadn't been to it either, but sometimes the pull of the water can distract, even from the opportunity to see a whale shark. I consoled him by pointing out the dark clouds approaching from the east (the right of the photo).
The trip to the aquarium is very easy. You can zip up the expressway, which we did, all the way to Nago, or you can take 58 which is a little more scenic but a LOT slower. We opted to just get there. It was a Saturday, which is a day off for the military but a work day for most of Okinawa. Once you hit Nago, there are LOTS of signs for the aquarium, or the Ocean Expo Park. Note vending machines on the left.
After figuring out where to park (there are nine parking lots for the aquarium, all clearly marked in kanji), we purchased our tickets and followed masses. There were lots of people directing traffic and overhead announcements much like Disney, but everything was in Japanese. We figured most of us were all there to see the same thing, so following people who looked like they knew Japanese seemed like a good strategy. On a personal note, I've never had the chance to feel like a minority, not even when I worked in Mexico for over three months. I guess I felt like I belonged there because I had a working knowledge of Spanish and had gotten to know some of the people in the little village. Walking into the aquarium, following a sea of brunettes, most of whom were my height or shorter, I DEFINITELY felt as though I stood out, and in an obnoxious way. Not sure if Ryan has had this experience and become accustomed to it, but it was something I absolutely noticed on this day.
Once we entered the first area, the coral reef, no one payed attention to anyone else. The aquariums were HUGE and rife with corals, sea creatures, and fish of all shapes, sizes and colors (and flavors. I tend to think of the Aquarium as a big seafood buffet, give me a spear and skillet and I would be in business!). Not having been in the water as of yet, I was eager to see the variety of life that I might be lucky to see on a snorkeling trip. The water was clear and the displays absolutely beautiful. I can't even begin to list everything we saw in the reef display, but I can offer a montage of some of my better shots.
The pièce de résistance of the aquarium, and what made Churaumi the largest aquarium in the world until Atlanta in 2005 and Singapore just this year, is the large tank housing large sea organisms that are common in the waters throughout the Ryukyu archipelago. There are many views in the tank, but I like this one:
Ryan has seen one manta ray in the waters of Okinawa since his arrival over the summer. He was snorkeling and saw a small one, but probably an impressive find nonetheless. I was jealous. There are also whale shark tours, as the whale sharks migrate through the Ryukyus twice a year. I would love, love, love to see both manta rays and whale sharks, but I think I might permanently soil whatever I happen to be wearing.
There is a portion of the tank that reminds me of the Shark Encounter at Sea World Orlando. It is a small room built like an amphitheater, and the roof is underneath the tank. You can sit there and watch the other fish and rays milling along the bottom of the tank, and every now and then a huge shadow obscures the light:
The Churaumi Aquarium has the oldest, or most long-lived, captive-breeding program for giant manta rays. I could see the love.
It was a very impressive aquarium, although there were a few sad spots. The sea turtles and the manatees were housed in barren cement tanks with nothing other than a viewing window for the public. The green sea turtle was in a cylindrical tank that could not have been more than 6-feet in diameter, and the lone green sea turtle hovered around the viewing window. There were four manatees, and we saw them during feeding time. Again, just two large cement tanks: one for the two males and one for the two females. All four of the manatees had been donated to the aquarium by Mexico. While the aquarium is impressive and has admirable displays in many respects, there is also room for improvement.
My favorite of the entire day were the garden eels. There is currently one smiling at me from the side of my refrigerator, thanks to the gift shop.
Ryan is a man who thinks with his belly, and his favorite was the HUGE grouper we saw in the very first tank of the reef display. There isn't much in terms of scale I can offer in these photos, but the garden eels are the thickness of a wooden pencil, and the grouper was as wide as Ryan and I put together. "Massive" is appropriate, I think.
Why is it all of us Aylsworth's seem to think w/ our stomachs? I have to say I feel like I've taken my love of excellent food, trying new food combos and indulging in the amazing to new levals of late...maybe it's because I can afford to as I age? When I see fish, I first think "colors!" or "pretty" immeaditly followed by "have I eaten that before" or "i wonder if it tasts fishy?"...no wonder we are related.
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