Izu-Mito Sea Paradise

Izu-Mito Sea Paradise (“Mitoshi”) is an aquarium located in Uchiura, Numazu City, near the entrance to the Izu Peninsula. Though compact, it’s packed with highlights and is home to popular marine animals like dolphins, sea lions, and penguins. It also exhibits regional species such as creatures from Izu’s rivers and deep-sea life from Suruga Bay. One “Mitoshi” feature is how close you can get to animals—you can enter the penguins’ living area, and you can touch fish and some deep-sea creatures. It’s also popular because you can see two types of shows: sea lion & Pacific white-sided dolphin performances, and a bottlenose dolphin underwater show. On rainy days, kids can spend time in the indoor play area. The aquarium has a long history as the first in Japan to keep bottlenose dolphins, walruses, and sea otters. Its location is also soothing, using a natural inlet for its enclosures and offering scenery where you can even see Mt. Fuji. Access: about 30 minutes by car from Shin-Tomei Expressway Nagaizumi-Numazu IC or Tomei Expressway Numazu IC.