Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium — Rare Deep-Sea Creatures

Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium (沼津港深海水族館) specializes in deep-sea marine life from Suruga Bay, one of Japan's deepest bays (maximum depth 2,500m). The aquarium displays rare species that live in complete darkness under extreme pressure: giant isopods, fang-tooth fish, deep-sea anglerfish, and the bizarre vampire squid. Many specimens are alive (challenging given the difficulty of replicating deep-sea pressure conditions), while others are preserved to show anatomical details.

The facility also houses a frozen coelacanth — a 'living fossil' fish species believed extinct until rediscovered in 1938. The specimen is displayed in a -20°C freezer room (viewing time limited to 3 minutes due to cold). Suruga Bay's underwater trench brings deep-sea life close to shore, allowing Numazu fishermen to occasionally catch these creatures as bycatch, which are then donated to the aquarium for research and display.