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Noboribetsu Marine Park NIXE
Nordic Ocean Fantasy
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📸 A Warm Welcome – Free Photo Souvenir
The moment you step into Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe, you might be greeted by a photo opportunity right at the entrance. They offer a free photo to kick off your visit and get your photo on the spot, a nice little souvenir to start your adventure.
🏰 A Fairytale Castle
Unlike traditional aquariums, Noboribetsu Marine Park NIXE stands out with its striking Nordic-style castle, a magnificent replica of Egeskov Castle. The castle is surrounded by a moat, and visitors cross a suspension bridge to enter the world of marine wonders.
As you enter the main building, you will see a 8-meter-tall Crystal Tower, a vertical aquarium filled with swirling schools of fish. Hopping on the escalator will take you to the upper level, when you look down into the tower, give you a fantastic panoramic view of the diverse fish within the tower. The dim lighting enhances the effect, making it feel as though you’ve truly entered the ocean.
🌊 A Seamless Journey Through the Deep
The escalator smoothly takes you from the second floor up to the fourth. The aquarium’s spiral walkway design guides visitors through a well-planned, immersive route. Starting from the top floor, guests gradually descend through different exhibits, making for a seamless and engaging experience.
The display tanks in Nixe use specialized glass that magnifies the view, allowing us to observe the intricate details and behaviors of the marine creatures up close.
🐟 Get Closer to Marine Life
A highlight for many visitors is the interactive touch pools on the fourth floor. Here, you can gently touch a variety of marine creatures, including starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, crabs, stingrays, and horseshoe crabs.
This hands-on experience isn't just for kids; it’s a unique chance for everyone to connect with marine life in a more personal and memorable way, deepening our understanding and appreciation of the ocean’s wonders.
🌏 Conservation Efforts: Protecting Marine Biodiversity
NIXE is also dedicated to marine conservation. The aquarium has successfully bred a wide range of marine species through advanced aquaculture techniques, with ten species receiving breeding awards from the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA).
🦈 Two Oceans, Two Worlds: Cold and Warm Currents Exhibit
In NIXE, there is a dual ocean tunnel: warm current & cold current. Each tunnel showcases marine species adapted to different temperatures, offering visitors a unique look at the diversity of ocean ecosystems.
And don’t forget to look up—you might see a sand tiger shark gliding above your head!
🔮 The Goldfish Kaleidoscope: A Dreamlike Exhibit
Another unique attraction at Nixe is the Goldfish Kaleidoscope. Goldfish are displayed in a way that, with the help of lighting and the refraction of glass, creates a truly enchanting and dreamlike atmosphere. This exhibit appears to blend marine creature with modern artistic presentation.
💫 Hokkaido’s Largest Jellyfish Exhibit
As home to the largest jellyfish display in Hokkaido, NIXE showcases the different life stages of jellyfish. Under the glow of color-changing lights, these delicate creatures pulse rhythmically, creating a hypnotic, almost meditative experience. Visitors can relax on the sofas, listening to soothing music as they watch the jellyfish. If you're lucky, you might even catch the feeding process.
🎪 Must-See Live Animal Performances
The animal performance areas are located around the castle, featuring dolphins, sea lions, seals, sardines, and penguins. The schedule is well-planned, visitors can catch every performance without overlap. While the announcements are in Japanese, the performances themselves are engaging enough that language isn’t a barrier—you can still enjoy the incredible skills of the marine animals with their trainers.
Noboribetsu Marine Park NIXE is more than just an aquarium—it’s a place where visitors can experience the magic of the ocean, learn about marine conservation, and connect with marine life in a meaningful way.
Red List in Noboribetsu Marine Park Nix
Species (Sc. name / classification) | IUCN Red List | Ministry of the Environment RL (Japan) | Hokkaido Red List |
|---|---|---|---|
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus, mammal, marine mammal) | LC | - | - |
northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus, mammal, marine mammal) | VU | VU | VU |
Gomphid seal (Phoca largha, Mammalia margaritacea) | LC | VU | VU |
King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus, Birds) | LC | - | - |
Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua, bird) | NT | - | - |
Cape penguin (Spheniscus demersus, bird) | EN | - | - |
Horseshoe turtle (Geochelone elegans, Reptilia) | EN | - | - |
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana, reptile) | LC | - | - |
Water Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita, Pot insects) | NE | - | - |
Japanese sardine (Engraulis japonicus, fish) | NE | - | - |
Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti, bird) | VU | - | - |
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Least Concern (LC): Taxa for which evaluation has determined to be of relatively low risk of extinction.
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Near Threatened (NT): Taxa that are close to qualifying for or are likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
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Vulnerable (VU): Taxa facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
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Endangered (EN): Taxa facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
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Critically Endangered (CR): Taxa facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
General Information
Address
📍 1-22, Noboribetsuhigashicho,
Noboribetsu-shi, Hokkaido
Contact
☎ 0143-83-3800
Opening Hours
9:00 to 17:00
(Last entry is at 16:30)
