Japan Travel 2024- Mini Reviews

[akasha]

In March 2024 I went to Japan for the second time. While zoos and wildlife watching weren't the main focus of the trip, I did manage to squeeze a bit of critter time into the itinerary. I didn't get the chance to do any full zoo reviews as I would have liked, but I still saw enough to make some short reviews worthwhile. In this thread I will cover Arashiyama Monkey Park, Kyoto City Zoo, Nara Park, Osaka Aquarium and Ginza Art Aquarium. I had planned to go back to Ueno Zoo to see the nocturnal house but ran out of time. I'm going back to Japan next year, so hopefully I'll get a chance to check it out then.

Arashiyama Monkey Park - 17.03.2024

I started my first full day in Kyoto quite early and hadn't planned to visit the monkey park, but when I saw signs in Arashiyama warning about wild monkeys, I couldn't resist trying to see some and figured the monkey park would be the best place given my limited time. As Japanese Macaque are the only native monkey in Japan, ticking them off the wild mammal list felt worthwhile.

I arrived at Arashiyama Monkey Park three minutes before opening at 9am. I lined up and paid the ¥600 admission. It was a steep climb to the top of the mountain, which took me 25 minutes. I got my first view of the monkeys up in the branches of a small tree.

At the top there was a lookout and feeding hut, and the monkeys gathered here. On the way up, a speaker announced three rules; stay 2 metres away from monkeys, don’t stare in the monkey’s eyes, and don’t bring food for the monkeys.

There were a couple of dozen monkeys hanging around the feeding hut area. For an extra ¥50, I bought a little bag of peanuts (the other option was fruit) to feed the monkeys. Inside the hut you can get very close to the monkeys, with some mesh in between, and they reach their hands through to grab the food.

There were a few attendants nearby watching the goings on of both species of primate. One young monkey found a plastic bottle and when the attendant tried to take it, the monkey quickly climbed up on the roof. It knew it wasn’t allowed to have the bottle and wanted to hold onto it simply for that reason.

I spent about half an hour with the monkeys, and I think it was as ethical as it could be, especially considering the monkeys have no obligation to be there.

Descending the mountain, I took some time to look closer at the distant forest, spotting lots more monkeys engaging in more natural behaviours. I think that part of the experience was the most enjoyable for me, because that felt truly wild.

While this wouldn’t be my first choice for seeing this species in the wild, given my limited time and resources, it was a sure and easy way to see them.

 

[snowleopard]

I'd never heard of Arashiyama Monkey Park and I'm looking forward to more reviews. I would love to visit Japan one day and so I appreciate all of your write-ups on Japanese establishments.

 

[akasha]

Kyoto City Zoo - 17.03.2024

I visited Kyoto City Zoo on a rainy afternoon which put a stop on my plans to do a full review of Japan's second oldest zoo. Because of the rain I focused on the native animals and the indoor exhibits. Kyoto City Zoo isn't very big, and on a sunny day it would have only taken me a couple of hours to photograph and list everything. Still, I saw some interesting species and I think showing some exhibits here will be worthwhile.

My ticket cost ¥750, which was more than reasonable. The first exhibits were for cats. They were quite small and outdated, but given the weather (I really cannot deal with rain at all), I didn't get to investigate the exhibit structure as closely as I would have liked. The first cat I saw was a male Jaguar. He, like me, was not impressed with the rain so he was pacing in his den, which had a large viewing window and meant I got a great view of him.

The next exhibits were for Tiger, first an elderly female, and then a male. The male tiger’s cage was very small, but as I said I didn't get to look properly and he may have had access to other areas via a maze of walkways around the cat exhibits. I also saw Eurasian Lynx. Kyoto also holds Tsushima Leopard Cat, but I didn't see them.

Female tiger

Male tiger

Eurasian Lynx

The intermittent rain had me criss-crossing the zoo to take advantage of shelter in the indoor exhibits. There was a small house for native reptiles, amphibians and fish. It held Japanese Giant Salamander, Japanese Striped Snake, Japanese Rat Snake, Japanese Newt, Japanese Common Toad and Striped Bitterling.

Japanese Striped Snake

Japanese Rat Snake

Japanese Newt

Japanese Common Toad

Striped Bitterling

Outside here was a large aviary for mostly waterfowl. It held Falcated Duck, Eurasian Widgeon, Mandarin Duck, Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Black-headed Gull.

There was a row of small exhibits for native mammals. There was Japanese Red Fox, Japanese Raccoon Dog and Japanese Badger. The main animal I wanted to see at the zoo was the tanuki (raccoon dog), and while I did see one, it was an elderly individual, and perhaps not the best example of her species.

Japanese Red Fox

Japanese Racoon Dog

Japanese Badger

To be continued...

 

[akasha]

I'd never heard of Arashiyama Monkey Park and I'm looking forward to more reviews. I would love to visit Japan one day and so I appreciate all of your write-ups on Japanese establishments.

Thank you, I hope they are useful. You really should try to get to Japan when you can, I think you'd find the zoos very interesting, great species diversity and a real mix of exhibit types.

 

[akasha]

Kyoto City Zoo continued...

Next was an aviary for Peregrine Falcon, followed by an exhibit for Sika Deer. I'm sure I missed things in this section of the zoo, but the rain had me heading for the Tropical House.

Peregrine Falcon

Sika Deer

Kyoto Zoo was a real mix of great exhibits, and very out-dated ones. The Tropical House was nicely done, it was small but well-suited to its inhabitants and gave them enough space considering the overall limited space in the zoo. It mainly held different species of turtle, but was also home to Pachipachi, a male Linne's Two-toed Sloth. There was an exhibit for Green Tree Python, and three small nocturnal exhibits near the exit. Two were mixed exhibits for Senegal Galago and Lesser Slow Loris, though I'm not sure what was supposed to be slow about them, they were much more active than the bushbabies and moved around the exhibit quite quickly. The third nocturnal exhibit held Indian Flying Fox.

Linne's Two-toed Sloth

Green Tree Python

Senegal Galago

Indian Flying Fox

At the back of the zoo was the Asian Elephant exhibit. It would be considered small in Australia, but it had a pool and enrichment for the elephants, and perhaps it was the rain that had them stirred up, but they were the most active, playful elephants I have seen. There was a bull and four cows.

Near the elephants was an exhibit for Emu, and for an Aussie it was a novelty to see this species displayed in an aviary rather than a paddock.

I stopped off at the cafe at the East Entrance of the zoo for some kawaii bush dog pancakes.

Heading back towards the front of the zoo, were the primate exhibits. The Gorilla family were in their indoor area, but they also had access to an outdoor space with vegetation.

The Great Ape House indoor areas for Chimpanzee weren't my favourite, but I didn’t get to see the back of the house which I believe has outdoor space.

By this time the rain got heavier, so I quickly walked by the remaining exhibits and finished my visit.

Flamingo aviary

Overall I liked Kyoto City Zoo, it’s easily accessible and has some neat species, (certainly from an Aussie point of view). There are definitely exhibits that could be done better, maybe focusing on small cats would be more appropriate once the tigers pass away. It’s a shame the weather detracted from my visit, and if I ever go back to Kyoto I’d visit again for sure.

 

[akasha]

Nara Park - 18.03.2024

On my transit day from Kyoto to Osaka, I went via Nara to see the sacred deer. There are about 1000 wild Sika Deer roaming the 500 hectare park. They are believed to be messengers of the shinto gods, and though they are no longer officially considered sacred, they have been designated as a natural monument and are protected.

I caught the train to Nara from Kyoto, the trip took about 40 minutes. The train was decorated inside and out with deer, so I knew I was heading in the right direction.

I got off the train at Kintetsu-Nara Station and only had to walk two blocks east before I saw my first deer which were hanging out on the sidewalk, asking people for crackers. Nearby was a cracker stand, so of course I immediately bought some. All over Nara Park deer crackers are available for sale, ¥200 for 10 wheat flour and rice bran wafers.

At this time of the morning the deer were hungry and were very insistent about being fed. They have learned to bow to people to ask for food, and can get quite impatient if a cracker isn’t immediately offered. Though they have also learned that two raised hands means no food, and will quickly move on if given that signal.

Nara Park is full of shops, museums, temples and shrines, and the deer can be found all over, bowing for crackers. I spent about 3.5 hours wandering around, sightseeing and feeding the deer.

The deer in the park are genetically distinct from the surrounding wild deer population, being smaller in general. A lot of them have messy looking fur because they are constantly being touched by people and jostling with each other for crackers.

By midday the deer's hunger was getting satisfied and many of them retired to deer-only areas in the park for some peace and quiet.

Nara Park is also home to lots of other Japanese wildlife, and I did spot a few birds including Japanese Tit, which was a lifer for me.

I really enjoyed Nara Park, there is lots to see and the deer add a magical touch to it.

 

[snowleopard]

I'd heard about Nara Park before and I was advised that it's important to get there early like you did. The Sika Deer are boisterous and hungry and easily petted in the morning, but then they become full of food and retreat to their own area in the heat of the day. And that train looks awesome!

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

Great reviews
are you going to post a review on
Ueno Zoological Gardens

 

[akasha]

Great reviews
are you going to post a review on
Ueno Zoological Gardens

Already done last year mate
Ueno Zoo Review [Ueno Zoo]

 

[aardvark250]

I've been to Kyoto City Zoo back in 2018 and I thought its a decent little zoo. There are a lot of horrendous city zoos in Japan but Kyoto isnt one of them. The megafauna all have way too small exhibit but besides that I think there's a thinking to improve the zoo and provide the best out of what they have. It's all right for a city that doesn't need to focus on its zoo, if that make sense.

 

[akasha]

I've been to Kyoto City Zoo back in 2018 and I thought its a decent little zoo. There are a lot of horrendous city zoos in Japan but Kyoto isnt one of them. The megafauna all have way too small exhibit but besides that I think there's a thinking to improve the zoo and provide the best out of what they have. It's all right for a city that doesn't need to focus on its zoo, if that make sense.

I agree, I think it's slowly being brought up to standard, and in terms of species diversity for it's size, it's very good. And yes, that makes sense, it's a nice little bonus in a town that has a lot to offer visitors in terms of culture, history and architecture.

 

[akasha]

Osaka Aquarium - 20.03.2024

When I was in Osaka, there was a severe cold snap so I started looking for indoor activities. I knew that Osaka Aquarium had whale sharks, which was enough to prompt me to visit. I caught the train to Osakako Station, and from there it was a short walk to the aquarium. I bought my ticket at the door for ¥3200 and had to wait 15 minutes to get in because entry is timed. There was a shopping mall next door so I hung out there until it was time for admission. I didn't do a complete species list (I think that might be impossible), but in hindsight I wish had taken the day and done a more comprehensive one. Still, here is an overview of this world class aquarium.

Aquarium model

Osaka Aquarium begins with the Aqua Gate, a small walk-through tunnel , then it's a ride up a multi-storey escalator which did spook me a bit because I don't love heights, though you do get good views of the Aji River. This takes visitors to the top of the building where there is a forest. Japan Forest has an exhibit for Asian Small-clawed Otter and some open-top fish tanks set into the faux rock.

Aqua Gate

Japan Forest

Minnow Tank

Asian Small-clawed Otter

Mandarin Duck

From here the path leads in a spiral down the levels of the building, around the central Pacific Ocean tank, with 3 other large corner tanks, and several other multi-storey tanks. It's a well thought out design, which educates on both geographical species distribution and ecosystems at various depths, all based around the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The Aleutian Islands exhibit holds Tufted Puffin. It's first view is at surface level, and then another underwater.

Tufted Puffin

This first big corner tank is themed Monterey Bay. It held Largha Seal and California Sea Lion.

Largha Seal

Next is the Gulf of Panama exhibit. I really liked this one which had a forest on top that was home to South American Coati, as well as several aquatic species in the tank.

South American Coati

The Ecuador Rainforest tank held some prehistoric looking species such as Pirarucu, which were a highlight for me.

Pirarucu

The Antarctica exhibit was of course home to penguins, with a mixed colony of Gentoo Penguin, Adelie Penguin and King Penguin.

Gentoo Penguin

Being an Aussie, I was curious to see what species would be chosen for the large Tasman Sea tank and was very pleasantly surprised to find a pod of four Pacific White-sided Dolphin, a species I will likely never encounter again. Even though they aren't a Tasman Sea species, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them.

The next tank I was curious about was the Great Barrier Reef, but unfortunately it was closed for renovation.

To be continued...