Oga Aquarium Gao (男鹿水族館ガオ, Oga Suizokukan Gao), 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.[6]
Overview
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.[7] They also have a touch pool section where you can handle different sea creatures, such as sea urchin and sea cucumbers.[8][9] During the New Year’s season, divers dress up as Namahage and feed the fishes in the main tank.[10][11] The aquarium has appeared in the film "Tsuribaka Nisshi 15".[12]