What Is Seagaia Ocean Dome?

With 3,350 sq yd (2,800 sq m) of white sand, the Seagaia Ocean Dome beach, at Miyazaki, Japan, was one of the world’s finest. But what made it unusual is that it was indoors. The beach featured plastic palm trees that sway in an artificial breeze, and 13,500 tons of salt-free “sea.” A machine created surf up to 11 ft (3.4 m) high, and even when the giant roof was open the temperature was a warm 86°F (30°C). There was no danger of sunburn or shark attacks and even the surrounding volcanoes were fake. The real beach and sea were only 300 yd (275 m) away.

The Ocean Dome opened in 1993, and visitor numbers peaked in 1995 at 1.25 million a year. Entrance cost was ¥2600 per adult and ¥1600 for children, depending on the season. The Ocean Dome was officially closed forever on October 1, 2007 as part of a renovation and partial rebranding of the resort.