Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in Nagoya (Aichi): Highlights, a Half-Day Plan and Tips from Our Visit

The Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium is a large aquarium on the Garden Pier waterfront in Nagoya (Aichi), made up of a North Building and a South Building, plus an outdoor stadium for dolphin shows. This guide covers the highlights for first-timers, a simple plan for your day, hours and tickets, how to get there from Nagoya Station, and what is nearby.

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My visit

I have been twice: on November 3, 2022, when I saw the belugas, and on January 22, 2023, when I saw the orca, the sardine tank and the stadium.

If it's your first time, I'd go for the dolphin show, the penguin area and the sardine tornado. I stayed about 5 hours, and it's fun for couples and families alike.

On weekends there are hands-on activities, such as touching seaside creatures. Next to the aquarium there is a small amusement park, so on a sunny day you can play all day, and there is a food court in a separate building.

In Nagoya (Aichi), the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium is a place you can enjoy for more than half a day. LaLaport Nagoya Minato AQULS is also nearby, by subway.

First-timer highlights: dolphins, penguins and the sardine tornado

Dolphin performance "BLUE ECHO". About 20 minutes, in the stadium on the 3rd floor of the North Building. The aquarium says stadium seats cannot be reserved, so it is worth arriving a little early.

The penguin area. The penguin tank is on the 3rd floor of the South Building. A penguin Q&A (about 10 minutes) and a penguin feeding time (about 10 minutes) are held at the tank.

Sardine Tornado. A short show of about 5 minutes at the Large Kuroshio Tank on the 2nd floor of the South Building, where a school of sardines swirls through the tank. Check the time and be there before it starts.

Orca public training (about 15 minutes, in the same stadium) and beluga public training (about 10 minutes, at the "Aurora Sea" tank on the 3rd floor of the North Building) are easy to add to the same day. Start times differ by day, and events can be cancelled or changed because of the weather or the animals' condition, so check the official calendar for your date.

Plan your day

The official FAQ says a full visit including the dolphin performance takes 2 to 3 hours, which makes a comfortable half day. Our owner's visit took about 5 hours, so it also works as a day out, especially together with the places nearby.

• Check the day's show times when you arrive and build your route around two or three events.
• The stadium is in the North Building and the Sardine Tornado is in the South Building, so allow walking time between them.
• Keep some slack: events can change with the weather or the animals' condition.

Hours, closed days and tickets

• Hours: normally 9:30 to 17:30; in Golden Week (a run of national holidays from late April to early May) and the summer holidays (late July to August) 9:30 to 20:00; in winter (December to mid-March) 9:30 to 17:00. Last entry is one hour before closing.
• Closed days: every Monday, or the next day when Monday is a national holiday. It opens every day in Golden Week, from July to September, over the New Year holidays and in the spring break.
• Tickets: adults and high school students 2,030 yen; elementary and junior high school students 1,010 yen; children aged 4 and up 500 yen. They are sold at the aquarium's counter, as phone e-tickets and at convenience stores in Japan.
• Subway discount: show a same-day one-day pass, 24-hour pass or Donichi Eco ticket from the Nagoya City Transportation Bureau at the counter, and adult admission goes from 2,030 yen to 1,830 yen. See our subway and bus ticket guide.
• Combined ticket: the 4-facility ticket also covers the Port Building observation room and maritime museum and the Antarctic ship Fuji. The official site lists those facilities and Port House as closed from August 1 to November 30, 2026, so check before you buy it.

Food rules, re-entry and lockers are in our rainy-day guide to Nagoya (Aichi). The aquarium's leaflets are available in English, Chinese and Korean.

Getting there from Nagoya Station

From Nagoya Station, take the Higashiyama Line to Sakae Station, change to the Meijo Line toward Kanayama Station (counterclockwise) and ride to the last stop, Nagoyako Station. You can also take JR or Meitetsu to Kanayama Station and change to the Meiko Line for the same last stop. From Exit 3 it is about 5 minutes on foot.

The station is called Nagoyako. The aquarium's Japanese name is 名古屋港水族館, which is useful when you read signs or ask for directions.

On weekends and holidays

Weekends and holidays add a few extras. "Beluga's unusual way of eating fish" (about 10 minutes, on the 2nd floor of the North Building) is held on weekends and holidays only, and its schedule may change in Golden Week and the summer holidays.

The aquarium's FAQ also describes a Touch Tank on the 1st floor of the South Building, where you can touch hermit crabs, starfish, sea urchins and other creatures from the coast around Nagoya (Aichi). It says the tank is currently held irregularly, so ask at the information desk.

Our owner also remembers hands-on activities on weekends. They can change, so please check the official events page or ask on the day rather than planning around them.

Make it a full day nearby

Sea Train Land is a small amusement park a short walk from the aquarium; it uses the same Exit 3 of Nagoyako Station, about 5 minutes on foot. Entry is free and the rides cost extra: the Ferris wheel is 800 yen, and a one-day free pass is 2,600 yen (1,500 yen for ages 3 to under elementary school age). Its site lists 16 attractions. Hours change by day, so check its calendar. You may bring your own food into the park, but not onto the rides. It has no parking of its own, so drivers use the Garden Pier West car park.

JETTY is a shopping and dining complex right in front of the aquarium, split into NORTH and WEST. Its official page describes a food court of Nagoya-style meals, and the WEST 1F restaurants serve dishes such as miso katsu (pork cutlet with a red miso sauce), kishimen (flat noodles), tebasaki (fried chicken wings) and ramen. There are also souvenir shops and a gacha (capsule toy) arcade on WEST 2F. Hours vary by season and shop, so check before you go.

LaLaport Nagoya Minato AQULS (ららぽーと名古屋みなとアクルス) is a shopping mall on the same Meiko Line, a few stops from Nagoyako Station. Minato Kuyakusho Station Exit 2 is about 2 minutes on foot, and Tokaidori Station Exit 3 is about 3 minutes. For indoor family ideas there, such as the Anitouch petting zoo, see our rainy-day guide to Nagoya (Aichi). You can also read about LEGOLAND Japan and Maker's Pier.

Last reviewed: October 19, 2026. Hours, prices and rules change. Please check the official sites before you go.

References

• Official site of the aquarium (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium): English page (tickets, access)
• Official site of the aquarium (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium): FAQ (Japanese)
• Official site of the aquarium (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium): Tickets (Japanese)
• Official site of the aquarium (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium): Events (Japanese)
• Official site of the aquarium (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium): Hours and events calendar (Japanese)
• Official site of the aquarium (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium): Access (Japanese)
• Nagoya Port Garden Pier official: Facilities (Japanese)
• Nagoya Port Garden Pier official: JETTY (Japanese)
• Nagoya Port Sea Train Land official site (Japanese)
• LaLaport Nagoya Minato AQULS official: Access by train (Japanese)