Muroran Aquarium opens Apr 24

Muroran Minpo Minnano Aquarium in Muroran, Hokkaido, starts its 2026 season on Friday, April 24, with gates opening at 9:30 a.m. (iburi.net) The aquarium said the first 100 visitors at the main gate will receive commemorative gifts on opening day. Its 2026 operating season runs from April 24 to October 12. (iburi.net 1) (iburi.net 2) One of this season’s main changes is the return of the touch pool, where visitors can handle marine life under staff guidance. The aquarium also said a Steller sea lion feeding experience will begin this season on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 to 11:40 a.m., limited to five people a day at 500 yen per cup. (iburi.net) The reopening lands one week before Japan’s Golden Week holiday stretch begins on April 29. The aquarium extends hours to 5 p.m. during the May 3-6 Golden Week period, a sign it expects heavier family traffic. (iburi.net) Muroran’s aquarium is not a new attraction testing a soft launch. The city’s tourism site says it opened in June 1953, making it the oldest aquarium in Hokkaido. (muro-kanko.com) The site says the aquarium keeps about 120 species, with a focus on creatures from Muroran and nearby Hokkaido waters as well as some tropical fish from farther south. Its long-running signature exhibits include penguin walks, sea mammal shows and an early display of the deep-sea fish aburabouzu, first shown there in 1969. (muro-kanko.com) Admission remains low by Japanese aquarium standards. The 2026 rate is 400 yen for adults, 200 yen for high school students, free for children ages 1 through junior high school who live in Muroran, and 100 yen for children in that age range from outside the city. (iburi.net) The aquarium is also adding a third round of official merchandise this season, including a seal clear file and an aburabouzu umbrella marker sold from April 24 at the Michi-no-Eki Mitara shop nearby. The umbrella marker is priced at 480 yen, with a 450-yen launch price through May 6. (iburi.net) For Muroran, the April 24 opening restores a seasonal stop that mixes marine exhibits with old-style rides and outdoor family traffic on the city’s waterfront. By Friday morning, the question is less whether the aquarium is open than how early people line up for the first 100 gifts. (muro-kanko.com) (iburi.net)