Osaka: Day 2

Woke up early and had gyudon for breakfast (a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a sweet sauce) before catching the train to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, near Osaka Bay.

The Kaiyukan is one of the world's largest aquariums, comprising of 16 exhibits, 580 different species, 30,000 specimens, and 2.9 million gallons of water!  It's hard to miss since the place is huge!  The architecture is absolutely stunning and is  completed by a modern art piece of dolphins on the outside of the building.  It's not cheap, but it is totally worth it.  We started walking through a tunnel filled with reef fish, followed by taking an escalator ride to the 8th floor.  From here we followed the aquarium's theme "Ring of Fire" through the 16 different habitats ranging from arctic to tropical as we spiraled back down to the ground floor.  The Ring of Fire refers to the volcanic perimeter encircling the Pacific Ocean which Japan is apart of.

We started at the top in the Japanese forest with a skylight ceiling, watching ducks play in the water and Japanese otters take a nap.  Then we went beneath the surface and "walked" into Antarctica.  Here we watched penguins, polar bears, and narwhales.  Onto Monterey Bay, Gulf of Panama, Ecuador Rain Forest, Tasman Sea, Coast of Chile, the Great Barrier Reef, and other ecosystems as we traveled to the depth of the ocean floor.  We saw the odd-looking ocean sunfish (which has the circumference of a truck tire but is as flat as a pancake), and the Japan giant spider crab with its incredible 3m (9 3/4-ft.) span.  But the stars of the Osaka Aquarium are their pair of whale sharks.  

Whale sharks are the largest fish in captivity, at an average of 41 and a half feet long.  Even though is has a huge mouth, the whale shark is considered a filter feeder and is not considered dangerous for divers.  They'll even sometimes let divers hitch a ride.  Additionally, in the whale shark tank were giant manta rays and other species of fish.  Across from the main tank they had a special exhibit on finless porpoises.  This was the only time when I had to criticize the amount of space given for an animal.  The poor animal was just circling it's tank over and over again.  Dolphins and finless porpoises don't belong in captivity.  In case you need some justification, watch The Cove and then tell me what you think.
This was Kirby's first time to an aquarium.  It was pretty obvious that he enjoyed it since he commandeered my camera and took over 300 pictures!  I'm so thankful that we got to share this experience together before he left and I can't wait to take him to the aquarium in Newport, Oregon when I come back home.