Mar 23, 2016 - 3 min read

Nakagawa Aquatic Park

Beyond fish in tanks

By Stacy Kurokawa

Community writer

Children of preschool age and younger are free. Adults are ¥600 each. Purchase tickets from a vending machine at the front door. The buttons are also in English and the reception staff can assist you. I got an aquarium guide in English from reception

The lighting, rocks, plant life and fish are well-displayed. Signs include the latin species names. Like an art museum, Aquapark changes their display and activities/workshops from season to season. In the winter, for example, I went to see phosphorescence and illuminated jellyfish

Dr. Fish gently nibble the dead skin cells off your hands

A highlight is the hands-on observation pool; try holding a crayfish like this

Pick up a turtle with two hands, pet a fish, or pick up an anemone or starfish

The muggy Amazon zone, under a huge glass dome, is filled with fruit-bearing trees and here, find a huge, fur-bearing water-species (see next slide)

A capybara, or giant Amazon rodent, snoozes in the sunshine in the Amazon jungle area

Arts and crafts room. Nakagawa Aqua Park hosts activities and workshops on weekends and holidays. Pay for supplies only. Reserve your place at reception. They even offer cooking/baking classes!

This particular weekend offered a chance to create this water-weed garden in a jar (¥500). The workshop was held in a well-appointed lab

Free “backyard tour” – see what goes on behind the “staff only” doors. Nine of us join three guides. Once changed into rubber boots, we are shown a walk-in fridge and freezer, and different types of fish feed. Guess which fish eats the bananas grown in the Amazon area ...

Downstairs, under silver pipes and vents,the guide shows us at a vial of sand? No, the grains are eggs. We look under the microscope at hatched eggs – thousands of lively swimmers, krill to feed the fish

At the end of the backyard tour, we feed aquarium trout.

One of the most child friendly attractions I have ever visited. This is the nursery area, suitable for families with kids under the age of 4.

Amazon Café, in the aquarium. We ordered black curry (dark chocolate is an ingredient), a beef bowl, shrimp with a sweet and spicy sauce over rice, sweet iced-tea, and a mango lasse. Yum. The café offers high chairs for toddlers and babies, and about nine tables in all. Paper fish made by local art college students hang from wooden beams overhead. Photos of Brazil decorate the low walls that separate the café from the rest of the aquarium

Carp feed is available from the capsule machines at Aquapark`s entrance. You may feed the carp immediately surrounding the main building

Freshly roasted dango (made of glutinous rice) and "Ayu" river fish on a stick at “Park Services Area.” Also in this area, find a farmers market selling local handicrafts, toys and local produce, and a family-style cafeteria (many booster seats available)

No drinking beer while fishing sign, at the stocked fishing pond

Borrow a net and catch wee guys like this, but treat them kindly and return them to the water as soon as possible

Climbing adventure park for kids with a short zip line

Wild birds galore...the aquarium is right beside the Naka River. Hawks fly overhead. Can you see the white bird in this picture?

For families with children, and for those with an interest in fish and wildlife, Nakagawa Aqua Park is worth a visit. Dedicate at least four hours to exploring this facility. Bring a lunch or buy it there. If you come with kids in July/August, bring swimwear and towels. Sunhats and sunscreen are warranted most days. If you are visiting Aquapark on a weekend or holiday, check out their workshops and special tours.

Expect a lot of walking. We parked near the entrance, then later re-parked closer to the fishing hole. If you forget your stroller or walking cane, reception lends out strollers, wheelchairs, a walker (for the elderly) and even a push tricycle. Tochigi Prefecture has done well to provide such a barrier free facility. For example, even the fishing pond has a paved slope, and the main washroom provides a courtesy step for small children.

Tours and workshops are in Japanese only. If your Japanese level is not high, consider visiting with a volunteer interpreter, who can also guide you around other area destinations. Contact Japan Tourism Association (JTA) to learn how, and/or check here.

Getting there

The brochure advises, "From the Tohoku Highway, exit at Nish-Nasuno Shiobara I.C and travel about 28 km (45 min) towards Yuzukami via the Rice Line (Otawara Farm Road), or about 25 km (45 min) towards Yuzukami via National Highway 400."

We set off in the car from Utsunomiya at 9 AM, drove straight there and arrived at 10. With a car, one can easily explore Nakagawa and area, drive to a nearby hot spring after visiting Aqua Park, or try to squeeze in a visit to the sake brewery or museum in nearby Karasuyama, or Otawara rice field pictures (September/October). We left Aqua Park around 3 PM, visited a train park where you can drive a real train, then roasted and sampled free rice crackers and green tea at rice cracker shop before heading home.

If you can't drive, and have plenty of time and little luggage, you can take a train to JR Nasu Shiobara Station east entrance; you will need to wait for the public bus bound for Kurobane-Machi/Yuzukami-Mura. That bus takes an hour to get there. Another option is to get off a train at Nishi-Nasuno Station, and from the east entrance take Toya Kotsu Bus to Ogawa/Bato in which case you are on the bus for about 40 minutes.