Vol. 454 Traveling with Kids in Kamogawa (Part 1)
I went to Kamogawa for an overnight trip.
It was a trip taking advantage of my son's (7 years old) spring break.
Our goals were:
1. To stay at the Kamogawa Sea World Hotel
2. To go to Kamogawa Sea World
These two things.
It's not impossible to go on a day trip using the expressway, but the official hotel, "Kamogawa Sea World Hotel," is wonderful! Especially for those with kids! ...or so I heard, so I decided to go on an overnight trip on purpose.
*Below, I will mainly introduce recommended points for those with children. Please use this as a reference for your outing (^ ^)
[March 29, 2026 (Sun)]
Arrived at Kamogawa Sea World Hotel.
It took about 3.5 hours from home, including a lunch break.
By the way, the plan we booked was called the "Snap a Photo with a Dolphin! Experience Plan." As the name suggests, a private photo session with a dolphin is guaranteed. Things like this are nice when you have kids, aren't they♪
As someone raised in the mountains, my excitement level went up.
First, we just left our luggage at the front desk and headed straight to "Kamogawa Sea World."
By the way, the hotel rate mentioned above includes admission for two days. Moreover, it is generous enough to allow unlimited entry and exit from the park opening on the check-in day until the park closing on the check-out day!!
And the biggest advantage is that there is a guest-only walkway.
It's only a 1-minute walk from the hotel to Sea World.
With this, you can leave extra changes of clothes behind, and if the kids get tired, you can take a break at the hotel. It was a walkway that was too convenient for those with kids.
It wasn't even a minute; it was more like 30 seconds.
Now, the first thing we did upon arrival was the orca show.
Speaking of Kamogawa Sea World, this is it.
It's a signature show.
However, this is where our family had an intense experience. We got splashed with water.
And an unbelievable amount of it all over our bodies...
If you have ever been to Kamogawa Sea World, you are probably laughing, saying, "Oh, that thing (chuckle)." It seems to be that famous.
But we didn't know.
That such a tremendous amount of water would come flying at us...
To put it in perspective, it felt like having a bucket of water dumped over our heads. And every time the orca jumped, about 10 times (-｡-;
My son was completely stunned and frozen.
I was also disappointed because I couldn't take photos for fear of my smartphone breaking.
My son was disheartened by the shock, but well, this will probably be a good memory later on.
"The water was amazing!"
Incidents like this are what unexpectedly remain in one's memory.
*Regarding the orca show, there is a revenge version on the second day. Look forward to the second part.
Before we knew it, it was 3:00 PM, time for the long-awaited dolphin show. We could watch this one with peace of mind, as there was no risk of getting splashed with water.
After the show ended, we stayed at the pool for a photo session with the dolphins. We had a hotel plan that included the photo session, but it is also available for general guests to book.
However, it's limited to 5 groups per session, so it seems to fill up quickly.
I recommend booking early if you want to take photos.
They are so well-trained.
That was it for Sea World on the first day.
We headed back to the hotel with a little time to spare to check in.
We finished our baths before dinner. Why? Because there was a 'certain' treat waiting for us at night...
Dinner was a buffet.
This was one of the things I was looking forward to.
After all, there was plenty of seafood.
The jumbo fried shrimp, which must have been 15 to 16 centimeters long, were especially popular with the kids, and my son ate three of them lol
And finally, it was time for that 'certain' treat.
We gathered in the lobby at 7:30 PM and headed to...
Yes, a night aquarium exploration!! This is a service exclusively for hotel guests. You can enter the aquarium after closing time, which you normally can't see. Plus, it comes with a guide.
I think kids will absolutely love it, so you should definitely try it♪
The tour ended after about 40 minutes.
We returned to our room and went to bed.
My son, who usually goes to sleep at 8:00 PM, fell asleep in seconds.
<To be continued in Part 2>