Shinagawa Aquarium

Always featuring in Japanese TV dramas as a venue for dates, Shinagawa Aquarium is one of the most popular local attractions in the Shinagawa area, and makes a perfect rainy day escape.

There’s the World of Jellyfish, a Shark Hall, a Seal House and a Tokyo Bay river, as well as your usual aquarium sights. There are a series of shows that take place throughout certain days including feeding, projection mapping and underwater shows – follow the colour-coded guide here to check what is on when you visit. 

On Saturdays you can also take a backstage tour to see the working side of the aquarium but this is based on a first-come first-served basis so if you’re not in the first 15 you won’t get to join. They still entertain visitors with dolphin and other marine mammal shows which you might want to skip as research suggests that these animals suffer greatly in captivity.

If you live or work in Shinagawa ward, you can get big discounts on entry (¥800 for adults, ¥400 for kids), but you’ll need ID to prove that you’re a local.

It’s an 8-minute walk from Omori-kaigan station, or you catch the free bus from Oimachi JR station.