Kasai Rinkai-koen Park葛西臨海公園

The large waterfront park facing Tokyo Bay features a cutting-edge aquarium. View the bay from a huge Ferris wheel and enjoy birdwatching at a wild bird sanctuary.

Kasai Rinkai-koen Park, with an east-west width of two kilometers, was constructed on a landhill. It is sandwiched by the Ara-kawa and the Old Edo-gawa rivers. Along the coast are two crescent-shaped artificial beaches. The Nishi Nagisa (west beach), connected to Kasai Kaihin-koen Park via a bridge, enables visitors to enjoy views of Tokyo Bay, including that of Tokyo Disney Resort. Visitors can also enjoy playing in the sand or looking for seashells and small sea creatures. The Higashi Nagisa (east beach) is a protected bird sanctuary, and dikkops and seabirds can be seen in the shallow waters off the beach. This park is relatively accessible from central Tokyo by train and by the Tokyo Mizube Line (water bus) departing from Ryogoku. Inside the park is the Seaside Edogawa, an affordable public hotel that makes visitors feel welcome.

A landmark of Tokyo Sea Life Park aquarium, the symbol of the park, is the round glass dome. It lights up at dusk, becoming a "dome of lights." About 39,000 creatures, some 530 different varieties, are displayed in the dome. The main attraction is called Voyagers of the Big Sea, an exhibit where schools of blue-fin tuna and bonito swim around swiftly inside a large doughnut-shaped tank. Success in keeping migratory fish such as blue-fin tuna is quite rare, and tourists love viewing these large, three-meter-plus fish. Another attraction is the Seas of the World exhibit which enables visitors to see many beautiful, mysterious and rare fish, from those native to tropical coral seas to those living in the Antarctic Sea, where the water temperatures remain below two degrees C all year long. The Life on the Shoreline exhibit has a booth where visitors can touch and feel the creatures that live along the seashore and rocky beaches.

The Diamond and Flowers Ferris Wheel is the largest Ferris wheel in the Tokyo metropolitan area. With a height of 117 meters and diameter of 111 meters, its illumination changes from white gold to fresh green, marine blue and dream pink according to the seasons. It rotates once every 17 minutes, and includes 68 six-seat gondolas. Since the gondolas are not required to be shared, each family or group can get one all to themselves. During the day, nature can be enjoyed to its fullest, and during the night, the urban skyscrapers beyond the bay with their twinkling lights are glorious sights. Views of Tokyo Bay and the parks from a glass-walled, all-weather rest house are also quite amazing.

Taking a walk through the rolling grass hills in the park while feeling the sea breeze can be a spectacular experience, and there is also an watching center in the bird district, located inside the waterfront sanctuary for wild birds, where the birds flock near the water.