, officially Akita Prefectural Oga Aquarium, is an aquarium located along Oga Peninsula coast, Oga, Akita Prefecture, Japan. GAO stands for Globe, Aqua and Ocean, and sounds like an Oga-native Namahage shout.
Overlooking the Sea of Japan, it keeps and displays over 10,000 marine organisms, including those from Akita Prefecture's abundant marine resources and over 400 species of rare aquatic animals from around the world. This is the only tank in Japan where they have Japanese sandfish on display all year round. They also have a touch pool section where you can handle different sea creatures, such as sea urchin and sea cucumbers. During the New YearâÂÂs season, divers dress up as Namahage and feed the fishes in the main tank. The aquarium has appeared in the film "".
The former Akita Prefectural Aquarium was founded in 1967, and displayed 300 species including Japanese sandfish, Otters, Penguins and White caimans.
It can hold 630 cars and vehicles.