Finally got a chance visiting GAO during school break, really came here long way from Kyoto, but worth it🥹 Those seals are so adorable🥰 I had spent such a great day here.
If you are relying on public transport (JR) like me, I’d recommend you to book the shared tourist taxi “Namahage Shuttle” in advanced. Because you may probably unable to catch up the local bus. Fees charges depends on how far you go (e.g. 1600yen from Oga Station to GAO), and they even offer tour taking you to various tourist spots of Oga.
The coastal road drive from Akita to the Aquarium GAO is very scenic, passing by fishing villages, stretches of wind turbines and stunning views of Japan Sea.
There are lots of parking spots. Upon entering you will see a giant tank with big stingrays swimming among the fishes. The seals and sea lion performances during feeding time is very entertaining and the trainers are very professional. We can see it up close and it’s a lot of fun. There is also a polar bear but because the summer day is extremely hot, the bear needs to be protected and stayed in the shade. Overall a nice experience and very suitable for kids and families.
Outside the Aquarium, you can see the rugged coastline of the Oga Peninsula and the Lighthouse.
The aquarium at Oga was a really cool place to have a look. We got to see polar bears, penguins, and upside down jellys who spend life on their heads apparently.
The polar bear was playing while we were there which was cool. The food there was awesome for the price.
We got to hold sea slugs. They felt horrible. Will do it again.
It was one of the best aquariums I went to. Very well presented information, with a lot of different species and frequent shows with the penguin, seals, and sea lions. The staff were very kind and accommodating. Will visit again if I ever go back to Oga peninsula!
Pretty good Aquarium. Polar bear looked miserable since it's summer. We went on a weekend and had to use the alternate parking lot up the hill from the aquarium but the view was great.
