World Art Utopia

Kushimoto Undersea Observation Tower

View through a round underwater window of the Kushimoto Undersea Observation Tower: small blue fish swim past pink soft coral in clear turquoise water.
Artwork FileKushimoto, Japan

Kushimoto Undersea Observation Tower

SeenJan 2024

Kushimoto Marine Park Center · Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan · 1971

Photo: Motokoka / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), as also published on Street Art Utopia.

Kushimoto Marine Park, established in July 1970, was the first marine park in Japan; its Undersea Observation Tower opened in January 1971 so that visitors can look into the clear, warm sea washed by the Kuroshio Current without diving. Source Checked

Seen Jan 2024: in its New Year notice of 1 January 2024, the Kushimoto Marine Park Center said it was open every day, the undersea observation tower included. The photos on this page were taken on 4 May 2010. Source Checked

More photos

The Kushimoto Undersea Observation Tower in May 2010: a round blue and white tower standing in the sea, reached by a red footbridge from the rocky shore, with green hills behind.
2010 The tower and its footbridge, May 2010Photo: Motokoka / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

💡 4 things to know

  1. Japan’s first marine parkThe operator says Kushimoto Marine Park was the first marine park established in Japan, in July 1970. Source Checked
  2. Opened in January 1971The park’s own history lists the Undersea Observation Tower as opening in January 1971, before the aquarium in October. Source Checked
  3. Two spiral staircasesJapanese Wikipedia describes a tower about 140 m offshore, 14 m tall, in 6.3 m of water, with a double spiral staircase like a sazae-dō temple hall: one stair in, one stair out. Source Reported
  4. Northern table coralsJapan’s Tourism Agency says Kushimoto’s waters hold some of the world’s northernmost table coral communities and around 120 kinds of coral. Source Checked

📍 Where it is

About 140 m off the shore of Kushimoto Marine Park, 1157 Arida, Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, reached by a footbridge. Source Source Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens Google Maps at the marine park (coordinates from Japanese Wikipedia); the tower stands about 140 m offshore. We did not check Street View.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 1970Jul

    Marine park established · Kushimoto Marine Park

  2. 1971Jan

    Tower opened · Kushimoto Marine Park

  3. 20104 May

    View through a window · Wikimedia Commons

  4. 20104 May

    The tower and its footbridge · Wikimedia Commons

  5. 20241 Jan

    Operator: open every day · iko-yo

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark dated records and reports. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

Kushimoto Marine ParkHistory page

“Kushimoto Marine Park is the first marine park established in Japan in July, 1970.”

Read the source →

Kushimoto Marine Park Center, via iko-yo1 Jan 2024

“お正月もお休みなく、水族館、海中展望塔、海中観光船ステラマリス、”

No break at New Year either: the aquarium, the undersea observation tower, the undersea sightseeing boat Stella Maris (and the rest) stay open.

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Operator
Kushimoto Marine Park Center Source Source Checked
Opened
January 1971 Source Source Checked
Marine park
Established July 1970, the first in Japan Source Checked
Tower
About 140 m offshore, 14 m tall, in 6.3 m of water Source Reported
Stairs
Double spiral staircase, one for going down and one for coming up Source Reported
The sea
Washed by the Kuroshio Current; the water stays at 15 °C or more even in winter Source Checked
Corals
About 120 kinds, including table corals Source Checked
Protection
The Kushimoto coast was registered as a Ramsar Convention site in November 2005 Source Source Checked
Status today
Open, according to the operator’s notice of 1 January 2024 Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 4 November 2026. How we verify art