Public transport / Gift shops

Batto

Batto

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Hi,
is it possible to get to the following facilities via public transport or is renting a car more recommendable?
- Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden (still housing the ancient Amazonian manatee?)
- IZoo
- Kawa Zoo (still housing Goliath frogs?)
- Toba Aquarium
- Habu museum (Okinawa)

Does Zoorasia still have an okapi-themed gift shop? Which Japanese zoo / aquarium actually houses the best gift shop?

Which Japanese facility has the most impressive collection of venomous snakes - IZoo?

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Toba Aquarium is very easy to reach by Train from Osaka or Nagoaya-if you go to japan, take an early train, because you will need a full day for the Aquarium.

I can't tell you which the best gift shop in japan is- they are full of garbage as everyZoo gift shop in the world, but the diffrence is, some japanese zoos and aquariums still offers a guidebook, but only in the giftshop, not at the entrance.

During my visit, Zoorasia had no special giftshop for okapis, but both giftshops were full of okapi, memorabilia- socks, cockies...plush animals, T-Shirts, toys---everything you need if you are an okapi lover, ( are you ?;)) but unfortuantely no underwear or toilet paper.:(:mad: If you don't want to walk from the main entrance to the okapi enclosure, take the Okapi bus, but it runs only at weekends and holidays.

I'm not really in Herps, but the horrible Nagoya Zoo has a very impressive and huge collection of them, and I'm pretty sure, they had some venomous snakes. Also Tokio Ueno-Zoo has a good reptile collection.

Hopes that helps a little.
 
Bib Fortuna said:
if you are an okapi lover, ( are you ?;))
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No, I'm not. But someone very dear to me is.;)
Many thanks for your recommendations. I think it was your picture of the blue and pink plush okapis that cemented the peculiar focus on okapis at Yokohama Zoo in my mind.
Any must-see recommendations from your side?
 
Batto said:
Any must-see recommendations from your side?
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It all depends on what for. For zoos or aquariums ? You know that the Japanese zoos can't exactly score with a high quality animal husbandry, to put it bluntly.

The most species-rich zoo of the country in Nagoya can literally be called an animal prison, even if there have been some improvements in recent years. In fact, there are just two zoos there that meet Western standards, Zoorasia in Yokohama and the Tama Zoo in Tokyo, with Zoorasia being much better. You really don't need to know the rest of the zoos. Since you are mainly interested in reptiles, you should definitely visit the Ueno Zoo and the Higashiyama Animal Prison in Nagoya - at least the reptile husbandry there is still essentially acceptable - I often know worse reptile husbandry in the USA. In Japan, the aquariums are much better, and in some of them you will also find reptiles, such as in the Toba Aquarium.

The Kanazawa Zoo in Yokohama is also still so la la. Of course, if you're eager to see as many rarities as possible, you can't help but visit the other zoos as well. Put it in perspective - you need to know the dark side of the Force to appreciate the good side of the Force...but don't worry, unlike the evil Anakin Skywalker, you'll find your way back to the good side much faster than him after your visit to the Japanese zoos...and of course you don't have to die for that. Japanese zoos are full of surprises."Will I like the surprise?" " Simba...äh Batto...it's to die for ".....:)By the way, literally dark are mostly the concrete prisons for apes in Japan...and if you like concrete, steel, bars and apes and monkeys, the visit of the Japan Monkey center is recommended to you...you will find your El Dorado there in this respect.:)

Any questions ? You know, I do not judge any zoo by its " collection"-, just by the way how the animals are kept. Much more important than the" collection", wouldn't you agree with me ?

Now, after getting to know Japanese zoos, I can very well do without zoo visits to China, Southeast Asia and Russia.;)

There are a few quite good zoos in Germany-not many, but a few-two good ones in Austria, two in Switzerland, a few very good zoos in Czechia, Poland and the Netherlands....and they are quite enough for me.;)

Of course, I can't say how good your reptile zoo is.... not yet.;)
 
Bib Fortuna said:
Of course, I can't say how good your reptile zoo is.... not yet.;)
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Since it's not just a mere reptile zoo and given the thematic focus on toxicity, it might be "to die for" as well. ;) Feel free to contact me if you're in the area; I'd be happy to show you around.

My wife would come along on my trip. That limits the amounts of zoological institutions I can visit, since, despite her vast patience, she is going to get bored and frustrated if we just sprint from one zoo / aquarium to another.
She's a big Sirenia fan, so Toba and Atagawa would be on the Must-see list. Furthermore, she'd love to visit Okinawa, even if it's just for a few days.
While I would appreciate to see zoological rarities such as African forest elephant, Emperor penguin, Goliath frogs or Marine Iguana and while I do like my bats & creepy crawlies, I'm not sure whether I want to support inadequate husbandry and international animal smuggling with my visit. I'm more interested in original husbandry concepts and educational presentations, in particular in regard to topics relevant to WdG. A trip to a fugu restaurant and the Habu museum would thus be of particular interest. And if I could obtain some unique memorabilia that could be used for WdG on the way, even more so.
I'm just not sure about the best way to get from Tokyo to the relevant "must see" facilities such as Toba, from there to Okinawa and then back to Tokyo.
 
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Batto said:
Since it's not just a mere reptile zoo and given the thematic focus on toxicity, it might be "to die for" as well. ;) Feel free to contact me if you're in the area; I'd be happy to show you around.

My wife would come along on my trip. That limits the amounts of zoological institutions I can visit, since, despite her vast patience, she is going to get bored and frustrated if we just sprint from one zoo / aquarium to another.
She's a big Sirenia fan, so Toba and Atagawa would be on the Must-see list. Furthermore, she'd love to visit Okinawa, even if it's just for a few days.
While I would appreciate to see zoological rarities such as African forest elephant, Emperor penguin, Goliath frogs or Marine Iguana and while I do like my bats & creepy crawlies, I'm not sure whether I want to support inadequate husbandry and international animal smuggling with my visit. I'm more interested in original husbandry concepts and educational presentations, in particular in regard to topics relevant to WdG. A trip to a fugu restaurant and the Habu museum would thus be of particular interest. And if I could obtain some unique memorabilia that could be used for WdG on the way, even more so.
I'm just not sure about the best way to get from Tokyo to the relevant "must see" facilities such as Toba, from there to Okinawa and then back to Tokyo.
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So, I'll be very happy to come back to the offer when I'm in the area again. I was in Salzburg just before the pandemic started, but that was before you moved there.

About your planned trip to Japan. Be a good gentleman and be considerate of your wife. Believe me, Ueno , Nagoya( but only because of the reptiles) and Zoorasia would be perfectly sufficient. I don't know if there are any forest elephants left anywhere in Japan. And even if you miss them - my god, they are just slightly smaller elephants with thinner tusks - that's it.

Whether there are still goliath frogs somewhere, I don't know, that's more your area then. In the Toba Aquarium there are African manatees as well as a dugong - if it is still alive, that is. Japan is a wonderful country - when you are there you will quickly realize that you don't go there because of zoos. Japan has much more to offer than caged animals in captivity. Avoid summer - it's the rainy season there.

I spent 5 weeks there and saw only a few zoos, but a few aquariums, and got to know a lot of the country and the people beyond the mainstream and mass tourism. In addition, you will have the pleasure to get to know the best and most reliable train system in the world...when you get close to Salzburg or back to Germany, it is like coming back from the 22nd century to the stone age....in Japan, train travel is an absolute pleasure. It is essential to get the Japan Railpass beforehand here in Europe - it is not available locally.

Here you can find more information:

https://www.jrailpass.com/https://mountfuji.de/japan/shinkansen/japan-bahnpass-bestellen/?msclkid=d439ef2db1e811ed66608fcd203f1d92&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Rail pass DE&utm_term=Japan rail pass&utm_content=Japan rail pass


You want to eat fugu ? You are braver than I thought. I did without, but minke whale, pilot whale and bottlenose dolphin I ate there a few times, very good, tender meat with tart flavor and 100 % eco ! But not cheap if you eat it in a restaurant. Porpoise is still the cheapest to have and is also available as a sandwich-very tasty. Even McDonald's has a dolphin burger - the McFlipper. A Japan only...Try the Flipper Mc Nuggets...with remolade sauce.

A visit to Okinawa is a must-- pure tropics..if you can dive, do it there. Seeing a manta ray in the ocean is certainly a lot nicer than seeing one in an aquarium. But Okinawa is far away from the main islands and can only be reached by plane. Make that the end of your trip to Japan, and fly back from there to Europe, probably via Tokyo, because I don't think there is a direct flight from there to Europe. I flew from there to Taiwan - is only a stone's throw.

There is no direct train connection from Tokyo to Toba, you will have to change trains in Osaka or Nagoya, but it is too far for a day trip. But from Osaka it is no problem. As a travel guide, I recommend Lonely Planet - it's really good.
 
I actually moved to Salzburg in June 2019; I only opened the new venue there officially roughly a year later.
Thank you for your reply.
Why not Tama? And why is everyone recommending Zoorasia? From what I've seen of it online, I don't get the popularity. Hardly any reptiles, and most of the species I've seen elsewhere in enclosures at least as good. The okapi gift shop is actually the only point of interest there. ^^ Speaking of reptiles: I've also seen some shaky YT footage of the Nagoya reptile section, and the species selection (let alone the husbandry) did not impress me either. I know that I'm starting to sound a bit snobbish, but having already been to some really cool reptile collections so far, makes me a bit more choosy ;)
Is traveling by train in Japan really better than by car? I don't like to be dependent on set time schedules and destinations, but prefer to be more flexible, especially when it comes to exploring the country on my own, as recommended by you. From what I've researched so, car rentals in Japan are not that pricey, at least in comparison to other countries I've been to.
Well, my wife actually suggested to see the forest elephant ^^.
Cetacean meat has too much accumulated heavy metals in it to be of culinary interest to me.
As for consuming fugu: I'm not interested to do that out of sheer bravado, but to add another element of personal experience to WdG.
Speaking of the latter: we're most certainly not going travel to Japan just to visit zoos and aquaria, but for inspiration, as previously mentioned.
Unfortunately, I'm not going to have five weeks at my disposal.
 
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Batto said:
Hi,
is it possible to get to the following facilities via public transport or is renting a car more recommendable?
- Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden (still housing the ancient Amazonian manatee?)
- IZoo
- Kawa Zoo (still housing Goliath frogs?)
- Toba Aquarium
- Habu museum (Okinawa)

Does Zoorasia still have an okapi-themed gift shop? Which Japanese zoo / aquarium actually houses the best gift shop?

Which Japanese facility has the most impressive collection of venomous snakes - IZoo?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...

I know @Bib Fortuna has addressed most of your questions but I thought I'd give my input too.

Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden is easily accessible by train, but given that it's an easy stop on the way to iZoo/KawaZoo (either of those would realistically need a taxi, at least, from the train station) we opted to hire a car for the day on my last zoo trip to Japan. It was relatively easy to fit Atagawa & iZoo in the same day (KawaZoo hadn't opened yet). I would expect that iZoo's venomous collection is among the best in the country - I don't think I've seen better in Japan, although Suma Aqualife Park is worth a visit if you're near Kobe; they had several species of sea snake on display back when I visited in 2017.

Both the Amazonian manatee and goliath frog were still around when I last checked (several months ago).

As @Bib Fortuna mentions, Toba is easily accessible by train and is a marvellous aquarium. I took the train from Nagoya, and also stopped at Ise Sea Paradise in the morning (not great for most of the animals, but some pretty unique experiences).

I've never been to Okinawa, and I've yet to see a forest elephant.

For western zoo enthusiasts I think Japanese aquariums are usually more impressive than the zoos. It's worth popping into a couple if you get the chance, and you'll find that their gift shops are also quite impressive too (although I can't think of a 'best').

I wonder if @RatioTile can impart some of his wisdom...
 
Batto said:
Does Zoorasia still have an okapi-themed gift shop? Which Japanese zoo / aquarium actually houses the best gift shop?
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They still sell okapi goods. They also have some tree kangaroo plushies as well. I believe they still have their okapi shaped

https://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/zoo/zoorasia/goods.php
To add to the okapi fever they also have an okapi bus that you could use in the park.

https://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/zoo/zoorasia/bus.php

Batto said:
Which Japanese facility has the most impressive collection of venomous snakes - IZoo?
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To my knowledge, venomous snakes aren't commonly kept in Japanese zoos. Heck, reptile houses are usually meh in the average Japanese zoo despite some zoos having decent (not impressive) reptile collections (ie, Sapporo, Ueno, and Tennoji, two of which is out of your reach). @FrancoiseLangur might know better about it.

The only other zoo in Japan with a extensive hot snake collection is the Japan snake center (not to confuse with Tokyo snake center the animal cafe). They even have a "bite training center" (I blame google translate for the awkward wording). It does seem a bit outdated and has terrible snake enclosures, so I understand if you are hesitant to go there. I don't even know if there are many rarities other than different varieties of habu.

Here is a video posted by the snake center itself.

Batto said:
Why not Tama? And why is everyone recommending Zoorasia?
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Because of the funny monky. That is why.

Edit: Nogeyama zoo seems to be the zoo that holds the reptile collection Zoorasia fails to (then again Nogeyama was yokohama's primary zoo before some of the animals moved to Zoorasia). While it is an outdated facility which could get rid of some of its animals (especially the chimps and lions) it is free!!

Also to answer your question about gift shops, Tama zoo has a nice gift shop next to the food court/education hall. My mom and I spent time getting some nice handkerchiefs and towels.

If you are looking for merchandise of animals that get overlooked by wildlife then Saitama Children's zoo is probably one place you might want. I recall seeing gundi pins and quokka plushies. However you may need to go through a one hour fifty minute journey from Tokyo to reach Saitama.

PS: idk when you plan to visit Japan (I have have skimmed rather too much rather than read) but right now Ueno, Tama, Inokashira, Tokyo Sea Life Park need advanced bookings. In fact check the websites of all the zoos you plan to see before your journey. Or contact the zoo.

PS If Tama is on your list can you take a picture of the murals in the food court/education hall? that would be awesome.
 
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@Bib Fortuna I would cut Higashiyama some slack, While progress is slow they are trying to provide new habitats to their animals. Is it the same standard as European and US zoos? Definitely not! However they are trying to change things for the better. If you check the thread of the Higashiyama zoo, you will see that they are building new enclosures and have plans to do so. Hopefully they don't stop renovations halfway similar to Tennoji zoo which looks like a Frankenstein with a Africa section similar to US exhibits and a good herp house while having bear grottoes, lined primate cages, and concrete pheasantry.
 
@PossumRoach Thank you for the extensive reply. :)
PossumRoach said:
ie, Sapporo, Ueno, and Tennoji, two of which is out of your reach
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I might rent a car, so "out of reach" might be relative. ;) However, thanks to what I've seen on YT's "Abroad in Japan", I don't think Sapporo is a must-see destination. And based on your description Tennoji doesn't sound very tempting, either. ;)
I stumbled upon the Japanese Snake Center while using the Japanese Zoo & Aquaria map linked in another Zoochat thread. From what I have seen on your and similar videos, I think I'll pass.
Funny monk(e)y = Proboscis monkey? If so, I can pass that zoo as well. ;)
My wife and I are planning the trip for 2022. If the pandemic is still relevant then and prohibits us from traveling anywhere, I might buy myself something Japanese instead, to help me celebrate my midlife crisis. Maybe a yellow Daihatsu Copen, to look "spectacularily ridiculous", as James Hammond said on Top Gear long ago. :D
 
Batto said:
Funny monk(e)y = Proboscis monkey? If so, I can pass that zoo as well.
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Proboscis monkey, red-shanked douc, and Tibetan macaque (and wooly monkeys if you think highly of them). Otherwise they don't have anything outstanding.

If you are planning to stay at Tokyo I would suggest visiting the Edo museum. It is pretty impressive. I have no animal related suggestions considering how Japan as a country might not meet your standards.
 
Id say try going during spring it's the perfect temprature that it's not too hot and not too cold.So animals wont be hiding from the weather.Id say if your in the area zoorasia is a must but be aware that alot of people say that it's hard to find the animals.But i think if you know where to look you'll find them.Tama zoo has more special experiences compared to other Japanese zoos such as the orangutan skywalk and bug area and while zoorasia is going for a complete natural route.If you want reptiles the best reptile house is probably in ueno while izoo is also pretty good and they got the biggest crocs in japan like 2 months ago.If your end going when it's not spring try to plan how you'll go through the zoo such as go to hotter climate animals at the hottest part of the day and colder climate animals at noon.

Go to japanese zoos knowing that they don't have good animals husbandry and don't get mad at the employees people that end up in those jobs usually wants the best for their animals and its just the government not funding them.

I'd say go to more aquariums than zoos here.Since they're much much better.
 
PossumRoach said:
@Bib Fortuna I would cut Higashiyama some slack, While progress is slow they are trying to provide new habitats to their animals. Is it the same standard as European and US zoos? Definitely not! However they are trying to change things for the better. If you check the thread of the Higashiyama zoo, you will see that they are building new enclosures and have plans to do so. Hopefully they don't stop renovations halfway similar to Tennoji zoo which looks like a Frankenstein with a Africa section similar to US exhibits and a good herp house while having bear grottoes, lined primate cages, and concrete pheasantry.
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Apparently tennoji zoo starting to do construction agian.But I'm not sure if this is true.
 
PossumRoach said:
Proboscis monkey, red-shanked douc, and Tibetan macaque (and wooly monkeys if you think highly of them). Otherwise they don't have anything outstanding.
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So nothing I haven't seen before. If we can get the okapi merchandise elsewhere, hard pass on Zoorasia, then. Regarding Edo Museum: thanks for the hint.
@Idk Thank you.
Idk said:
I'd say go to more aquariums than zoos here.Since they're much much better.
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You're not the first one mentioning that. ^^

So far, the following are on our list:
- Toba Aquarium
- Ueno & Tama Zoo
- Osaka Aquarium

Additional options:
- Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden
- Izoo & Kawa Zoo
- Asa Zoo
- Sumida Aquarium
- Port of Nagoya Aquarium

And if we do make it to Okinawa:
- Churaumi Aquarium
- Habu Museum
- Okinawa Zoo
 
For some reason zoorasia doesn't have original okapi merch but have alot of okapi merch from other brands.
 
Tokyo sea life park has tuna if seeing Tuna swim underwater is interesting.

Ueno may have okapi gifts but mot the variety Zoorasia provides.

If you are referring to Okinawa Zoo and Museum then I’d suggest against it based on the horrible and small exhibits. Iirc you could see Orii’s fruit bats in Ueno. Which blows because I’m sure you could find some Okinawa endemics there if wildlife watching isn’t your cup of tea.
 
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