It’s Spring!
The sun is out, it’s warm. These days are good days to go visit Kamogawa Seaworld.
I visited last month with my girlfriend and we had a blast!
There are many shows to see:
- Beluga Whales
- Dolphins
- Orcas
- Walruses
There are many different themes and interesting animals.
The Exhibits:
- Polar Exhibit
- Tropical Exhibit
- Marine Mammal Exhibit
- ‘Wave’ Exhibit
During feeding hours you get a small show too.
The view of the actual sea is gorgeous and the atmosphere is one of a pleasant day out.
You don’t need great Japanese ability to spend a day down here. There is enough English around to get by. The show times and feeding times are all clearly indicated; very easy to plan the day out. The day just flew by for us as we breezed through our schedule.
We had lunch in the Ocean Restaurant. There you can catch a glimpse of the Orcas from underwater during their show. Neither of us could recommend the food though.
However, there are a bunch of different food options, and a lot different flavoured ice cream as well! We had cherry blossom ice cream and seawater ice cream. I love how in Japan they are so inventive with ice cream.
The park is open from 9 and closes at 16:30. It has a free shuttle bus that goes back and forth between Awa-Kamogawa station and Kamogawa Seaworld. So you’d first take a train to Awa-Kamogawa and then you’ll see a Seaworld sign designating the shuttle bus stop.
There is also a large shopping center next to the station. We checked it out and it has a variety of shops including a nice incense/ odds and ends shop with a very friendly owner.
For more information on Kamogawa Seaworld, here is their site in English.
After the shuttle bus back we head for the train but have some time left. Around 17:00-18:00 we can already notice that Awa-Kamogawa is shutting down. Almost everything is closed, and even the coffee café we get to is closing.
As we are about to leave the café another lady there warns us it would be best to eat before heading to Futomi, where we would stay the night.
The funny thing is that there isn’t much in Awa-Kamogawa either. So we buy something to eat at the station convenience store before getting there.
Only two stops further down the uchibou line we get out at Futomi, and the place is empty. We are laughing about how at the time there is literally just us, two cars, and a guy standing on the pavement further down.
We get to our bed and breakfast; Umi no Hoshi AKA Star of the Ocean. The place is great! Right ON the beach. The people are friendly and make a good breakfast. There is also a Kamogawa Seaworld Ticket-Pack they sell. (We didn’t get that.)
The view with the beach and the sea right there is great, with a cheap price. An ideal place to stay the night and, Futomi being so quiet, a good getaway if you needed one.
The next day we go to Tateyama Bay looking for a Sushi Restaurant. It’s the bay, so there has to be one right?! Well!! We didn’t find one… besides the sushi restaurant at the station there are none within reasonable walking distance at the bay area. So if you think you can find some fresh fish right next to the ocean, learn from our mistake and think again! The place next to station looked quite good.
If you are at the bay I recommend walking (or rather rock-jumping) down the rocky pier. It feels adventurous and gives you a nice view of the bay close to the waves. 🙂
We then walk to Tateyama Castle. You can also take the bus. Tateyama Castle is behind a park filled with young children eager to use their English on you! It’s very entertaining as they shout various set phrases at us.
We walk up a hill to get to the castle. There is a beautiful view of the bay and the surroundings from the castle.
Inside the castle there is a historical museum and you can look from the tower at the top.
Behind the castle there is a lovely garden, already blossoming in February.
The whole castle area is very nice for a stroll. There is also an art museum close by.
The way back to Chiba is very easy by train, and by the end we made a big circle into Boso-Country. 😉
There are video snippets of the shows on my Youtube here. (Coming Soon)
There are more pictures in my Facebook Album here.
Please leave any questions or comments in the responses below.
Cheers,
Kyle