I took the subway from Yurakucho Station to Shinagawa Station.
I went to Shinagawa Maxell Aqua Park where there is a dolphin show.
The day version of the dolphin show was at 11:30, 1:00, 2:30, and 4:00, and the night version of the dolphin show was at 5:30 and 7:00. (The time can be changed at any time, so be sure to check the dolphin show time before your trip.)
We had a tight schedule to go to Tsukiji Market in the morning and Tokyo Tower in the evening, so the 2:30 dolphin show was the perfect time for our schedule. Also, there is 'Dolphin Touch' where you can experience touching dolphins by paying a separate fee. This service is available twice a day (12:00 and 3:00), so I thought it would be perfect to watch the dolphin show at 2:30 and then experience the dolphin touch at 3:00.
We stayed up late while resting at the cafe and came out a little late.
We tried to arrive at a leisurely pace, but we arrived at Maxell Aqua Park just at 2:30.
We showed the aqua park entrance ticket purchased in advance on the official website and went in, and we ran straight to the dolphin show without having time to look around.
There were a lot of people at the dolphin show. Many people stood in the back and watched, but many of the chairs in the front were empty.
Lucky!
We went and sat right in front.
It was so fascinating because it was my first time seeing dolphins so close.
But the dolphins started splashing the water.
In an instant, it came towards our seats, splashing water and passing by.
I couldn't help but scream.
Only then did I notice that the people around me were wearing raincoats.
Yes...it was unlocked.
I was covered in salt water from head to toe.
Not going to lie, I squeezed my hair and clothes and water dripped down.
Of course, my shoes were wet too.
The camera also got wet, so I sent it to a repair center after my trip to Tokyo, but the salt water corroded it, so I had to replace the parts.
We belatedly moved to the back and stood and watched like everyone else.
*If you want to watch from the front seat but don't want to be splashed with water, you can buy a plastic raincoat as they sell it on site.
*And in case you weren't wondering, I'd like to tell you that every time the dolphins splashed water, the diligent staff went around wiping down the chairs, so I didn't feel like I was going to get hit by water if I sat there. If the chair had been soaked with water, I certainly wouldn't have sat on it.
My Onu was enjoying the show when he suddenly got splashed with water and Onu's mom and dad started yelling, so he was startled and seemed to be in a bad mood.
Still, he did her best to enjoy.
He enjoyed the show while holding the figures taken from home in his hands.
The dolphin show seemed to last about 20 minutes.
After the dolphin show, it was dolphin touch time from 3 o'clock.
Dolphin touch reservations must be made in advance, and dolphin touch reservations open one week prior to the date you plan to enter the aquarium.
I reserved tickets to the aquarium, waited, and made a reservation right away on the official website as soon as the dolphin touch reservation window opened.
Children under 4 years old could enter for free with one adult.
I decided to take pictures outside while my husband and Onu did the dolphin touch experience.
No belongings are allowed during the dolphin touch experience. Since I wanted to take pictures, I opted to capture moments outside instead of participating in the experience.
Although Onu, Mama, and Papa don't know any Japanese, when the Japanese broadcast came on, it seemed like they were providing instructions for those interested in touching dolphins. As I looked around attentively, I noticed people standing in line and the staff checking the number of attendees.
I quickly approached and presented my Dolphin Touch ticket. They confirmed my reservation and assigned me a number.
It was number 4, which was really fortunate.
The experience begins with number 1, so we could observe what the person in front of us was doing before proceeding. If we had been assigned the last number, we would have had to wait for a long time. However, since we were number four, our turn came quickly, allowing us to proceed without much delay.
Before proceeding with the dolphin touch experience, we had to put our belongings in a basket and sanitize our hands.
It was finally Onu's turn!
At first, he seemed to be touching the dolphin well, but he looked a bit confused... It appeared that he stiffened up while touching the dolphin.
It was a short moment, but I managed to take a lot of pictures.
However, unlike the photos taken by the staff for sale, the angle was not satisfactory.
So in the end, I paid 3,000 yen for two photos priced at 1,500 yen each and purchased them.
The photo I purchased had a QR code embedded in it, so I was able to download the photo and store it on my phone.
I liked the photos and I really liked being able to download them and keep them on my phone.
The photo below is one I took, but the angle is a bit disappointing, right?
The angle of the photo I purchased is as follows.
After leaving the dolphin show, I was about to go back to look at the fish, but I couldn't help but see the cute penguins waddling outside!
I rushed out as if I was captivated by the sight of the cute waddles.
It seemed like the penguins were putting on some cute show.
It was a really short show, but it was so amazing because it was my first time seeing the penguins this close.
There was no window and they just walked back and forth under my feet, so all I could say was that it was amazing.
After seeing the penguins, we decided to take a closer look at the inside of the aquarium, which we hadn't seen before because we was in a hurry.
The aquarium itself wasn't big, but I was able to see some amazing sea creatures.
We also saw a sturgeon. Why is it swimming like that? All I could think about was this.
It was so exciting.
My son and I really liked Maxell Aqua Park, and other adults also liked it.
If I go to Tokyo again, this is a place I want to stop by again.
It was really fun and worth the 2,500 yen admission fee and 900 yen for the dolphin touch experience.
Before moving to the next location, I also purchased a dolphin figure for 1,380 yen.
It was a collector's item, and I liked it because it was the same brand as the other animal figures I had at home.
Onu had a great time with his new friend, a dolphin figure, making movements to represent a dolphin jumping into the water.