Description

Ocean Discovery Center

The Kushimoto Marine Park was the first established marine park in Japan in July 1970, associated with the Yoshino-Kumano National Park. The Kushimoto Marine Park Center is a set of educational and sightseeing facilities focused on the marine environment in Kushimoto including an aquarium, underwater observation tower, glass-bottom boat tour, restaurant, souvenir shop, research station and diving park. The clear warm waters of the Kuroshio Current from the south washes along the coast in Kushimoto, the southernmost tip of Honshu (the main island of Japan) creating the perfect conditions for a coral reef, the most northern in the world.  This rich marine environment is registered under the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.  A visit to the Kushimoto Marine Park is an excellent chance to have a close encounter with this rare and beautiful underwater world.