My friend and I once talked about Hakkeijima Sea Paradise because she recently saw its brochure and immediately got very interested to see the place. So when I invited her and her family to join us one Saturday, she said yes on the spot.
Hakkeijima Sea Paradise is a huge amusement park located in the southern part of Yokohama. From Nihombashi Station in Tokyo, we took Keikyu Line going to Kanazawa-Hakkei and then change to Kanazawa Seaside Line going to Hakkeijima. The whole trip took us about an hour and half. The train ride was interesting because it gave me a different perspective of the place. About four years ago, my husband and I also visited the place but we went via Kehin Tohoku/Negishi Line going to Shin-Sugita and then took the Kanazawa Seaside Line.
It was a bit nostalgic when we started walking towards the main park from the station as we were welcomed by the beautiful view of the Yokohama coast and blue sky. Walking through the Pleasure Land made us all feel like kids again seeing all the attractions and rides around us. Luckily, we were strong enough to control ourselves and made it to the Aqua Museum!
At the ticket station, we bought the Aqua Resorts Pass which gave us access to the Aqua Museum, Dolphin Fantasy, Fureai Lagoon, and the Umi Farm. The price of the pass is JPY 3,000 per person, very reasonable for a whole day of adventure!
Our first stop was the Aqua Museum where we enjoyed looking at a huge collection of fishes and other sea animals like king crabs, whales, giant turtles, and sea lions. We were also lucky to be just in time for the marine show.
Afterwards, we headed to the Dolphin Fantasy just across the Aqua Museum. The place was designed as if one is walking with the dolphins because of the big arch-shaped tunnel. Kids and adults like the place very much because it gives a magical feeling of being under a swimming big turtle or dolphin.
For the remaining half of our adventure trip, we decided to go to Fureai Lagoon first and the Umi Farm. Inside the lagoon, we were able to touch a number of sea animals like the white dolphins; baby sharks; colorful starfishes; and sea cucumbers.
Lastly, we went to Umi or Sea Farm. At first we planned to just walk around the pathways placed above the waters. But seeing how people enjoy fishing, we ended up renting fishing rods. It was the first time for me to try fishing. It was very thrilling to watch especially when I needed to pull my fishing rod because a fish caught my bait. And the best part is, we were able to taste our catch cooked immediately! The rule of the place is you catch your own fish and then they will cook it for you.
After the thrill and nice food we had in Umi Farm, we too a brief rest in one of the benches placed along the wooden deck and watched the people enjoyed boating with dolphins. The sun was almost gone when we decided to head back to the train station.
