Oh, the Shinagawa Aqua Park was absolutely one of our most fun days in Tokyo. My daughter was still brand-new and the day dawned rainy, so I definitely wasn’t in the mood to ‘go out,’ let alone on an adventure nearly an hour away from our house.

But my handsome son had a modeling audition, so we ventured out, and it ended up being the best day ever! This place is so much fun.

From the moment you walk in, the park is built for fun, with a giant boat ride on one side and a carousel on the other. My son – totally appropriate in his nautical sweater and whale pants – kept saying, “I’m riding a shark, mama!”

I handed over the camera, and my son snapped this shot. Getting closer to being a credible photographer!

By far the coolest part of the park was the rooms I’ll call the ‘Jellyfish Disco.’ Every two to three minutes, all the regular lights would dim, the disco lights would break out, and they began playing the best pop songs. You couldn’t help but dance. I don’t know how the jellyfish liked it, but we sure did.

I would have been completely happy with just the Jellyfish Disco, but there was more. Tucked away in the center was a dolphin show. I don’t advocate for this – there’s no way the dolphins in the show have enough space or freedom at a water park in the middle of Tokyo.

But they were pretty magical to watch.

The aquarium portion of the aqua park did leave a lot to be desired. The animal enclosures were incredibly small, even by Tokyo standards, and I think there were too many animals in them. The animal trainers did do a wonderful job of bringing the animals out, however, and giving them a chance to roam around a bit.

The Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa is incredible, but don’t visit for the dolphins or the aquarium, as you’ll be disappointed. I hope they transition more to an aqua show instead of penning up the animals in the future, but the Jellyfish Disco is a fantastic way to spend a rainy afternoon!

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