Aquas was opened on April 15, 2000 giving Iwami Seaside Park its anchor tenant. It is the largest and best aquarium in western Honshu with around 500 different animals in 3,000 tons of water. In total, around 10,000 animals are on display in Aquas's three story fish-shaped building. The name is a combination of Aqua from English and Asu (future) from Japanese.

The aquarium's primary focus is on the marine life off the coast of Shimane Prefecture. The most famous fish that lives there is likely the Japanese flying fish.

Kagoshima City Aquarium - IO World acts as the ambassador for Kagoshima Prefecture's abundant and diverse marine wildlife. This 5 story (7 if including the dolphin theater) medium-sized aquarium is famous for its large ocean tank that houses a whale shark. While most aquariums run out of interesting local animals after a tank or two, the prefecture's unique location allows Kagoshima City Aquarium to keep its focus on the immediate region throughout.

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Marine World - Uminonakamichi is an aquarium in Fukuoka City on the northern end of Kyushu. It is located inside Uminonakamichi Seaside Park (海ノ中道海浜公園) across Hakata Bay from downtown. From here, the city is just an abstract backdrop for Marine World's outdoor stage for shows. To the north, the Tsushima Current flows past the north coast of Kyushu and up the back of Honshu. While a little effort is taken to highlight this ecosystem, most of its collection of 20,000 marine animals (350 species) are from elsewhere.

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As of 2015, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is among the top 3 most visited aquariums in Japan. In terms of total water volume, it is fifth largest aquarium in the world. It opened in 1990 as part of a redevelopment of the Tempozan waterfront area. The word "Kaiyukan" was invented by putting together the Chinese characters for ocean (海/kai), play (遊/yu) and building (館/kan).

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Shimonoseki Kaikyokan which overlooks the Kanmon Straits is the area's biggest modern attraction. Operated by Shimonoseki City, the aquarium has over 100 types of puffer fish, penguins, a highly enjoyable dolphin and sea lion show and more. The aquarium is open every day and many special events are held during the year.

The aquarium begins with a dramatic sloped escalator ride up to the 4th floor complete with a light show, mirrors and a video wall. Pumped and energized, you'll feel ready for the most exciting ride in your life or something close to it.

The centerpiece of Epson Shinagawa Aqua Stadium is the large circular arena where dolphins, their trainers and performers put on high energy aquatic shows. Beside this and the sea lion stadium, there is a penguin exhibit, an underwater tunnel and a number of smaller tanks.

Tokyo Sea Life Park is part of Kasai Rinkai Park (葛西臨海公園) to the east of Tokyo Station. The aquarium is fairly small and only has one big tank but is well worth a look. It showcases a diverse number of locations in a clear and consistent way and delivers a strong message about the necessity for ocean conservation.

Umitamago (Oita Marine Palace Aquarium) is a large aquarium with an impressive history located in Oita City on the east coast of Kyushu. It is the most popular theme park in Oita Prefecture according to 2006 statistics. It reopened after an extensive renovation in 2004.