Kyoto Aquarena (京都アクアリーナ)

Kyoto Aquarena is a municipal indoor swimming pool and skating rink in Kyoto City Nishikyogoku Comprehensive Sports Park in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It opened on July 20, 2002. Following the appointment of the Designated Manager System into the Kyoto City in April 2006, Viva Sports Academy Corporation began running and managing the facility.

History

The Kyoto Aquarena was opened as a swimming pool at the Kyoto City's playground (later known as the Kyoto City Nishikyogoku Comprehensive Sports Park) in 1944. The facility, however, was removed when the Kyoto City playground was completely renovated in 1982 for the National Sports Festival in Kyoto. Construction of the Kyoto Aquarena began in 1999, and the facility was completed in July 2002. The building was jointly designed by Mitsuru SENDA and Norihiko DAN. The total construction cost was 35 billion yen.

Facility

Location: Nishikyogoku Tokudaiji Dangoden-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City

The facility consists mainly of three buildings: The main pool building, wellness building, and archery hall. Parts of the buildings, which are covered with earth and greenery, are used as a multi-purpose square named 'Green Hill' (approximately a 3,000-square-meter lawn), and the parking lot (for 100 passenger cars and 6 buses) is also provided.

The main and diving pools are open only in summer (from May to September) and they are converted to a skating rink in winter (from November to March).

The second pool is open all year round. Half of the second pool is occasionally used for diving by changing the water depth during the winter season.

The main pool building

Main pool (international B class certified, 50 x 25 m, 10 lanes each 2.5 m wide, 0 to 3 m deep with movable floor, about 2,200 seats)

Diving pool (25 m x 22 m, 5 m deep)

Main rink (60 m x 30 m)

Second rink (30 m x 18 m)

(The main and diving pools are converted to main and second rinks, respectively, in winter.)

The wellness building

Second pool (25 m x 17 m, 8 lanes each 2.0 m wide, 0.5 m to 3.5 m deep with movable floor)

Kids pool (30 cm deep, water slide)

Workout room, fitness studio

The archery hall

4 lanes each 90 m long, 2 lanes each 50 m long (with night time lighting)

Opening hours

9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Days Closed

Every Tuesday (the following day if a public holiday falls on Tuesday, except in July and August when the facility is open every day) and year-end and new-year holidays (from December 27 to January 4)

Access

Five minutes walk from Nishikyogoku Station of Kyoto Main Line, Hankyu Railway

[Original Japanese]