Seagaia Ocean Dome: An Artificial Beach in Japan

Jan 15, 2012 9 comments

Artificial beaches are gaining popularity all over the world. We can see them in Monaco, Hong Kong, Paris, Berlin, Rotterdam, Toronto and others, but the biggest among them is Seagaia Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, Japan.

The Ocean Dome, which was a part of the Sheraton Seagaia Resort, measures 300 meters in length and 100 meters in width, sported a fake flame-spitting volcano, artificial sand, artificial palm trees and the world's largest retractable roof, which provided a permanently blue sky even on a rainy day. The air temperature was always held at around 30 degrees Celsius and the water at around 28. The volcano becomes active every 15 minutes and spews fire every hour, and incredible waves lashes the beach for surfers’ delight.

The beach can accommodate 10,000 tourists, and the kicker is that there's an actual beach only 300 meters away.

It opened in 1993, and visitor numbers peaked in 1995 at 1.25 million a year.

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[via Gadling]

Comments

  1. It is closed since 2007. As of now, by far the biggest indoor waterpark in the world is "Tropical Islands" in Germany.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Islands

    ReplyDelete
  2. When is going to open?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I saw one of these monsters in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in what was at the time the largest mall in the World. Amazing place!

    ReplyDelete
  4. WONDERS WILL NEVER END OH!!! ARTIFICIAL OCEAN??? WHAT NEXT??? ARTIFICIAL HEAVEN???? OH GOD FORBID!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There have been water parks for decades, why are you so up in arms about this one? As for an "artificial heaven," I wouldn't worry too much about that--since there isn't a 'real' heaven, all of them would be artificial. ;)

      Delete
  5. that uniqueness of an natural beach cannot be copied.. that smell, that sensation of the wind, cannot match the original one..

    ReplyDelete
  6. "WONDERS WILL NEVER END OH!!! ARTIFICIAL OCEAN??? WHAT NEXT??? ARTIFICIAL HEAVEN???? OH GOD FORBID!!!!!"

    ...Will technically speaking you can visit and see the artificial ocean..you probably visit an artificial heaven as well...the irony is..you can touch and see the real ocean...

    ReplyDelete

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