Wow, Galapagos iguana!!!! Are they in exhibit?
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Japanese tour 2023
- Thread starter aramacao
- Start date
The Inokashira Zoo is not the kind of place you would spend a whole day looking at; it is a really small zoo.
Zoorasia: Zoorasia news, and updates [Zoorasia] mentions proboscis monkeys and Vietnamese crested argus pheasants (Rheinardia ocellata)
Toba Aquarium: Toba Aquarium [Toba Aquarium] mentions West African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis), dugongs (Dugong dugon), Commerson's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii), narrow-ridged finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis), sea otters (Enhydra lutris), Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus),
Steller's sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), South American sea lions (Otaria byronia), walruses (Odobenus rosmarus), grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), spotted seals (Phoca largha),
Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica), Japanese bullhead sharks (Heterodontus japonicus), grey bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum), draughtsboard sharks (Cephaloscyllium isabellum), Izu catsharks (Scyliorhinus tokubee), cloudy catsharks (S torazame), Japanese topesharks (Hemitriakis japanica), banded houndshark (Triakis scyllium), sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus), mandarin dogfish (Cirrhigaleus barbifer), Japanese angelsharks (Squatina japonica), magnificent foxfaces and Japanese sea biscuits
Toba Aquarium: Toba Aquarium [Toba Aquarium] mentions West African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis), dugongs (Dugong dugon), Commerson's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii), narrow-ridged finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis), sea otters (Enhydra lutris), Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus),
Steller's sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), South American sea lions (Otaria byronia), walruses (Odobenus rosmarus), grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), spotted seals (Phoca largha),
Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica), Japanese bullhead sharks (Heterodontus japonicus), grey bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum), draughtsboard sharks (Cephaloscyllium isabellum), Izu catsharks (Scyliorhinus tokubee), cloudy catsharks (S torazame), Japanese topesharks (Hemitriakis japanica), banded houndshark (Triakis scyllium), sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus), mandarin dogfish (Cirrhigaleus barbifer), Japanese angelsharks (Squatina japonica), magnificent foxfaces and Japanese sea biscuits
I believe you can do tennoji zoo and osaka aquarium together in a day (tennoji zoo is quite bad tbh Kaiyukan is the main highlight)
Tama Zoo and Ueno Zoo is the only two i'd say should definitely be whole-day.
Oh and i'm not sure how you would get from Toba to Atagawa, because the Izu peninsula and Mie province should both be out of Shinkansen range. Both places will be quite time-consuming to get to by JR/other trains.
This is not a problema for me. If a zoo is small, I can see two zoos or aquariums on the same day or go sightseeing. What is important to me are the rare species that do not exist in Europe, and on this site there are.
Ueno: Tokyo - Ueno Zoo [Ueno Zoo] mentions giant pandas and Demidoff's dwarf galagos
Aquamarine Fukushima: Aquamarine Fukushima News [Aquamarine Fukushima] mentions blobfish, bonitos, broadnose sevengill sharks and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)
Higashiyama: Nagoya - Higashiyama Zoo [Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens] mentions Tsushima leopard cats and northern cloud rats
Aquamarine Fukushima: Aquamarine Fukushima News [Aquamarine Fukushima] mentions blobfish, bonitos, broadnose sevengill sharks and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)
Higashiyama: Nagoya - Higashiyama Zoo [Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens] mentions Tsushima leopard cats and northern cloud rats
The Amami spiny rats are off display so you can cross that off the list.
Not to mention Tibetan macaque, New Caledonian pigeon, Congo peafowl, red-shanked douc, and wooly monkey. I wouldn’t snub them.
I don’t know this fore sure since I have never been there but Nogeyama doesn’t look like a large zoo either so I don’t know if it is worth having an entire day dedicated to have unless you have other tourism plans to do in Yokohama that day.
@Veno and @RatioTile do you know if Nogeyama is small or not?
I'm aware that we will need quite a bit of time to get around. I would go to Toba from Osaka and to Atagawa I would go from Yokohama. I think this are the best options. Going to Atagawa from Toba takes more than 11 hours, it is imposible...
Yes, I have several things written down to see in Yokohama. As I said, if a zoo is small but interesting, that's okay, it's fine. Time to see other things and relax.
Nogeyama is a small city zoo and the notable rarity is the kagu i suppose. I guess it is not impossible to combine it with zoorasia although i wouldn't recommend that because zoorasia is not accessible by railroad and need to go via bus. And also zoorasia is a great zoo.
But nogeyama is basically in the city center so you can spend your other time of the day with other tourist attraction in yokohama
But nogeyama is basically in the city center so you can spend your other time of the day with other tourist attraction in yokohama
Nogeyama can be completed in 1 hour even, no more than 2. It’s free, too! I combined it with Kawasui Kawasaki Aquarium, which has an epic collection of rare freshwater fish from the rivers of the world. It’s in a mall in Kawasaki and easily reachable by train from Nogeyama Zoo.
Japanese Weasel’s also at Tama Zoo. Tama Zoo also has moles, shrews, fireflies, and a lot of endemic insects.
I could probably combine Kawasui Kawasaki Aquarium with Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise. They are further away, but in the surroundings of these places I have not written down anything else that I want to see, while around the Nogeyama Zoo I do have many things to see
Aquamarine Fukushima:Sailfish in Aquamarine Fukushima [Aquamarine Fukushima] mentions sailfish
And perhaps more pertinently Ribbon seal, but Iwaki is too far out of the way for this particular trip I believe.
I spent 40 days in November and December visiting Japanese zoos and aquariums. Of the places you've listed so far, I found many of them combinable in one day. Aquariums in cities often remain open in the evening, but they might turn their tank lights off to simulate darkness, making photography impossible.
Here's the places I combined in one day:
1) Kobe Animal Kingdom/Kobe Oji Zoo (definitely spend more time at the former, the latter is just for Tibetan blue bear).
2) Zoorasia/Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (huge time crunch; you want to spend 2.5 hours at the former, which is a beautiful and spacious park with very few rare species. The latter has a huge wall with dozens of crab tanks that you should spend a long time on).
3) Inokashira Zoo/Sunshine Aquarium (not too far by train; leave the first one at ~1:30 pm).
4) Adachi Park of Living Things/pet stores around Tokyo. Adachi is really worth it for insects and some reptiles and fish.
5) Ueno Zoo/Sumida Aquarium (Sumida Aquarium is tiny and takes under 90 minutes to finish).
6) Shinagawa Aquarium/Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa (both are small aquariums; you can even skip the first one).
When I was staying in Tokyo I took one day trip each for Aquamarine Fukushima and Aqua World Ibaraki Oarai. Fukushima has the ribbon seal, who goes offshow in the summer because his pool is outdoors and gets too warm for him. Unfortunately the sailfish passed away in December.
Here's the places I combined in one day:
1) Kobe Animal Kingdom/Kobe Oji Zoo (definitely spend more time at the former, the latter is just for Tibetan blue bear).
2) Zoorasia/Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (huge time crunch; you want to spend 2.5 hours at the former, which is a beautiful and spacious park with very few rare species. The latter has a huge wall with dozens of crab tanks that you should spend a long time on).
3) Inokashira Zoo/Sunshine Aquarium (not too far by train; leave the first one at ~1:30 pm).
4) Adachi Park of Living Things/pet stores around Tokyo. Adachi is really worth it for insects and some reptiles and fish.
5) Ueno Zoo/Sumida Aquarium (Sumida Aquarium is tiny and takes under 90 minutes to finish).
6) Shinagawa Aquarium/Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa (both are small aquariums; you can even skip the first one).
When I was staying in Tokyo I took one day trip each for Aquamarine Fukushima and Aqua World Ibaraki Oarai. Fukushima has the ribbon seal, who goes offshow in the summer because his pool is outdoors and gets too warm for him. Unfortunately the sailfish passed away in December.
Fukushima is out of the tour, too far. On another trip...
The Japanese weasel at Tama Zoological Park has recently passed away, so Toyama City Family Park is the only one left!
Oh, that's unfortunate. I saw him in November...
Was he the same individual who was there as far back as 2017? If so, then several other foreigners saw him over those years.
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Sicarius
Well-Known Member
I see that my friend @RatioTile already gave the critical information about this trip. He and I went on this 40 days trip together in November-December 2022. Both of us target to see the rarest of species in the country as well, so I believe we can help you with your trip. I'll follow your itinerary with the information that could be useful:
1) Kobe Animal Kingdom/Kobe Oji Zoo: Easily combinable, easy to see most of the rarities as well. The shoebill enclosure is exquisite. The striped possum pair is always sleeping, but their little house is turned towards the window so you will see them for sure. If you wish to see them active, the zookeepers are very helpful at Kobe Animal Kingdom so I just recommend asking for assistance. The Tibetan blue bear at Kobe Oji Zoo goes inside an hour before closing time. Go to his enclosure first when you arrive, you should have more than time enough.
2) Atoa/Suma Aqualife Park Kobe: We haven't been to Atoa ourselves on our trip. I briefly looked into it but I'm unsure if there is anything rare at this place. Suma Aqualife Park Kobe is under construction. Only half the aquarium is open for visitors and the rare species are mostly gone or off show. The sea snake collection is moved to an aquarium overseas. If you ask me, skip both these aquariums and choose a better option.
3) Osaka Aquarium: Amazing aquarium. You will love it. Target the New Zealand tank, there are some very rare fish species there like Meuschenia freycineti & Parapercis colias. In the main tank I'm guessing the whale shark is of importance to you, but also don't forget the sharpnose stingray. They have many. The arctic species are also one-of-a-kind.
4) Tennoji Zoo: We haven't been here either, because there are barely any species that are mind-blowing. I would try to combine this with the Osaka Aquarium as well, especially since the latter is open until 20:00 in the evening. Don't waste a day at Tennoji Zoo.
5) Toba Aquarium: Another amazing aquarium. Seeing the commerson's dolphins, African manatee, dugong & finless porpoise is very easy. You can't miss them. The fish collection itself is rather disappointing. They do have a few rare morays and mandarin dogfish on show. They also have an Amphiglossus reticulatus, but he is always sleeping. You probably still see it in that position though. I'm not sure if there is any way of reaching ISE Sea Paradise without a car, but if you manage to find a way than this place is perfect to combine with Toba Aquarium. It is tiny but has a lovely sea horse collection & they got two African clawless otters.
6) Atagawa Tropical and Alligator Garden/IZoo: These places are a real pain to get to. It's obviously your own decision if the travel time and costs are worth it, but if they are, then I sure recommend both locations. Atagawa's Amazon manatee is very easy to photograph, mainly because his enclosure is horribly small. The park also got a couple uncommon crocodile species like New Guinea crocodile. IZoo's Galapagos land iguanas are on show. You can see multiple adults and babies throughout the park. They also have Fiji crested iguanas, which are very rare in Europe. Other interesting species include Exuma Island iguana, Bahamian rock iguana (C. rileyi rileyi) & Galápagos lava lizard.
7) Zoorasia: Great park. Really beautiful. Proboscis monkeys are not on show during the winter period, only when it is warm enough outside. Crested argus & goliath imperial pigeon are easy to see, the first isn't as easy to photograph though. Tibetan macaque is only one animal left but she is active. Also give some attention to the woolly monkeys, which are believed to be a different (sub)species than we have in Europe.
8) Nogeyama Zoo: Not worth visiting unless you really don't have anything else to combine. Their single only rare species is the crested argus, which is kept off show at this park. The kagus are not worth spending time on when you are in Japan, there are a couple places in Europe where you can easily strike it off your list. If you decide to go anyway, then it is best to combine it with Kawasui Kawasaki Aquarium as was said already. This new aquarium has a whole bunch of rarities, including the only two gollum snakeheads (Aenigmachanna gollum) on public display in an aquarium. This species was only discovered in 2019.
9) Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise: This place is expensive. Combinable with Zoorasia, like we did. Hakkeijima might not be worth your time or money, but it does have a lovely wall of crabs and other invertebrates that will bump your numbers. The place also has some other rarities like Chaetodon larvatus & Narke japonica. Don't forget to focus on the sharks either, they have multiple Carcharhinus species thrown together in the main tank.
10) Saitama Children’s Zoo: Quokka, of course. The enclosure itself is only open 2-3 hours a day, don't miss it!
11) Tama Zoo: Another lovely park. I recommend spending enough time at the mole house (4 new mammal species for you I'd say) and the insect houses. The park also has Hokkaido mountain hare & two subspecies of Japanese hare. Then there is the crested honey buzzard & Japanese golden eagle that you can't miss. All of these shouldn't be too hard. Don't get your hopes up for seeing the moles inside one of the feeding boxes, even the zookeepers barely see this happening and it only does happen after closing time. Tama Zoo also has adult fireflies on show, at the insect house. Look carefully, I almost missed that little cave myself. Don't forget the yellow-footed rock-wallabies either. After digging a lot, I found out that they belong to the other subspecies than the ones in Europe/America. Last but not least, when you go during the winter I recommend walking past the giant flying squirrel enclosure on your way out when it's dark outside. They come out at this time. We were only lucky when it was that late.
12) Inokashira Park Zoo: Definitely combine this with the Sunshine aquarium and not with Tokyo Sea Life Park. The latter is too big and you will need your time there. Sunshine aquarium is small but got some very interesting species. Their collection of Chaetodon is fairly large, they have Trichiurus japonicus, Sepia kobiensis, etc. In the main tank they have Naru eagle ray, some of the only ones in captivity (besides two other Japanese aquariums). And then there are the mormyrids upstairs. They have 8 species combined, so take as many pictures as you can. The species are not labelled, but I have the list when you need it. Inokashira zoo is perfect for in the morning, you will see a lot of Japanese endemics. Their crested kingfisher died, unfortunately.
13) Tokyo Sea Life Park: Great facility. Indonesian whaler sharks are important here. They have a lot of other rarities as well, many of which are rather small. Go slowly here, one tank at a time. They also have Chaetodon daedalma on show, as well as a large collection of parrotfish. Lovely aquarium.
14) Ueno Zoo: The great slaty woodpecker here is the only one in captivity, but he is very old. He is easy to see. The mammal house is definitely your main target, as it holds a lot of rarities including tarsier & Prince Demidoff's bushbaby. The lights are tricky, so don't count on great photography options. Lidth's jay is another bird you can't miss, it's at the birdhouse near the entrance.
15) Sumida aquarium: Combine it with Ueno if you need to see this place. It's small and only has limited species.
16) Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa/Shinagawa Aquarium: These two places are tiny and easily combinable. We went to Shinagawa first. Their collection was very disappointing and the park currently doesn't have any species that can be considered unique or very rare. We did manage to find an emperor shrimp and Discordipinna griessingeri but both species can be seen in Europe as well and the first one probably didn't survive anyway. Maxell on the other hand is worth a visit. It has a reef manta ray swimming in the big tank, as well as 3 species of sawfish. This place is the only one in the world to have dwarf sawfish.
As you can see there are a lot of parks in Japan, not all of which are worth visiting. I have stated which places I don't consider going to. But there are some other parks I would like to recommend instead. When staying in Tokyo, Aquamarine Fukushima is actually not that difficult to get to. This place is the only one in the world to keep a ribbon seal. Besides this animal, it has the largest collection of deepsea/arctic fish species I have ever seen. Literally tons of species here cannot be seen in any other aquarium in the world. I hope you find a way to put this park on your list, it won't disappoint. They currently also have sevengill shark, I'm not sure if you have seen it before?
Another aquarium worth looking into is Aqua World Oarai. It holds the largest collection of sharks in the world. They currently have a juvenile tiger shark on show (I missed it, ugh), as well as salamander shark, necklace carpetshark & smooth hammerhead shark.
I know it's far out of reach, but Asa zoo also got the only pair of forest elephants outside Africa. Port Of Nagoya Public Aquarium has emperor penguins. Higashiyama Zoo has over 100 species of killifish & a small Indian civet.
Those are my recommendations. Took me over an hour to write all of this, haha. Good luck with your trip. Feel free to contact me on Facebook (Jo Kuyken), if you have any other questions.
1) Kobe Animal Kingdom/Kobe Oji Zoo: Easily combinable, easy to see most of the rarities as well. The shoebill enclosure is exquisite. The striped possum pair is always sleeping, but their little house is turned towards the window so you will see them for sure. If you wish to see them active, the zookeepers are very helpful at Kobe Animal Kingdom so I just recommend asking for assistance. The Tibetan blue bear at Kobe Oji Zoo goes inside an hour before closing time. Go to his enclosure first when you arrive, you should have more than time enough.
2) Atoa/Suma Aqualife Park Kobe: We haven't been to Atoa ourselves on our trip. I briefly looked into it but I'm unsure if there is anything rare at this place. Suma Aqualife Park Kobe is under construction. Only half the aquarium is open for visitors and the rare species are mostly gone or off show. The sea snake collection is moved to an aquarium overseas. If you ask me, skip both these aquariums and choose a better option.
3) Osaka Aquarium: Amazing aquarium. You will love it. Target the New Zealand tank, there are some very rare fish species there like Meuschenia freycineti & Parapercis colias. In the main tank I'm guessing the whale shark is of importance to you, but also don't forget the sharpnose stingray. They have many. The arctic species are also one-of-a-kind.
4) Tennoji Zoo: We haven't been here either, because there are barely any species that are mind-blowing. I would try to combine this with the Osaka Aquarium as well, especially since the latter is open until 20:00 in the evening. Don't waste a day at Tennoji Zoo.
5) Toba Aquarium: Another amazing aquarium. Seeing the commerson's dolphins, African manatee, dugong & finless porpoise is very easy. You can't miss them. The fish collection itself is rather disappointing. They do have a few rare morays and mandarin dogfish on show. They also have an Amphiglossus reticulatus, but he is always sleeping. You probably still see it in that position though. I'm not sure if there is any way of reaching ISE Sea Paradise without a car, but if you manage to find a way than this place is perfect to combine with Toba Aquarium. It is tiny but has a lovely sea horse collection & they got two African clawless otters.
6) Atagawa Tropical and Alligator Garden/IZoo: These places are a real pain to get to. It's obviously your own decision if the travel time and costs are worth it, but if they are, then I sure recommend both locations. Atagawa's Amazon manatee is very easy to photograph, mainly because his enclosure is horribly small. The park also got a couple uncommon crocodile species like New Guinea crocodile. IZoo's Galapagos land iguanas are on show. You can see multiple adults and babies throughout the park. They also have Fiji crested iguanas, which are very rare in Europe. Other interesting species include Exuma Island iguana, Bahamian rock iguana (C. rileyi rileyi) & Galápagos lava lizard.
7) Zoorasia: Great park. Really beautiful. Proboscis monkeys are not on show during the winter period, only when it is warm enough outside. Crested argus & goliath imperial pigeon are easy to see, the first isn't as easy to photograph though. Tibetan macaque is only one animal left but she is active. Also give some attention to the woolly monkeys, which are believed to be a different (sub)species than we have in Europe.
8) Nogeyama Zoo: Not worth visiting unless you really don't have anything else to combine. Their single only rare species is the crested argus, which is kept off show at this park. The kagus are not worth spending time on when you are in Japan, there are a couple places in Europe where you can easily strike it off your list. If you decide to go anyway, then it is best to combine it with Kawasui Kawasaki Aquarium as was said already. This new aquarium has a whole bunch of rarities, including the only two gollum snakeheads (Aenigmachanna gollum) on public display in an aquarium. This species was only discovered in 2019.
9) Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise: This place is expensive. Combinable with Zoorasia, like we did. Hakkeijima might not be worth your time or money, but it does have a lovely wall of crabs and other invertebrates that will bump your numbers. The place also has some other rarities like Chaetodon larvatus & Narke japonica. Don't forget to focus on the sharks either, they have multiple Carcharhinus species thrown together in the main tank.
10) Saitama Children’s Zoo: Quokka, of course. The enclosure itself is only open 2-3 hours a day, don't miss it!
11) Tama Zoo: Another lovely park. I recommend spending enough time at the mole house (4 new mammal species for you I'd say) and the insect houses. The park also has Hokkaido mountain hare & two subspecies of Japanese hare. Then there is the crested honey buzzard & Japanese golden eagle that you can't miss. All of these shouldn't be too hard. Don't get your hopes up for seeing the moles inside one of the feeding boxes, even the zookeepers barely see this happening and it only does happen after closing time. Tama Zoo also has adult fireflies on show, at the insect house. Look carefully, I almost missed that little cave myself. Don't forget the yellow-footed rock-wallabies either. After digging a lot, I found out that they belong to the other subspecies than the ones in Europe/America. Last but not least, when you go during the winter I recommend walking past the giant flying squirrel enclosure on your way out when it's dark outside. They come out at this time. We were only lucky when it was that late.
12) Inokashira Park Zoo: Definitely combine this with the Sunshine aquarium and not with Tokyo Sea Life Park. The latter is too big and you will need your time there. Sunshine aquarium is small but got some very interesting species. Their collection of Chaetodon is fairly large, they have Trichiurus japonicus, Sepia kobiensis, etc. In the main tank they have Naru eagle ray, some of the only ones in captivity (besides two other Japanese aquariums). And then there are the mormyrids upstairs. They have 8 species combined, so take as many pictures as you can. The species are not labelled, but I have the list when you need it. Inokashira zoo is perfect for in the morning, you will see a lot of Japanese endemics. Their crested kingfisher died, unfortunately.
13) Tokyo Sea Life Park: Great facility. Indonesian whaler sharks are important here. They have a lot of other rarities as well, many of which are rather small. Go slowly here, one tank at a time. They also have Chaetodon daedalma on show, as well as a large collection of parrotfish. Lovely aquarium.
14) Ueno Zoo: The great slaty woodpecker here is the only one in captivity, but he is very old. He is easy to see. The mammal house is definitely your main target, as it holds a lot of rarities including tarsier & Prince Demidoff's bushbaby. The lights are tricky, so don't count on great photography options. Lidth's jay is another bird you can't miss, it's at the birdhouse near the entrance.
15) Sumida aquarium: Combine it with Ueno if you need to see this place. It's small and only has limited species.
16) Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa/Shinagawa Aquarium: These two places are tiny and easily combinable. We went to Shinagawa first. Their collection was very disappointing and the park currently doesn't have any species that can be considered unique or very rare. We did manage to find an emperor shrimp and Discordipinna griessingeri but both species can be seen in Europe as well and the first one probably didn't survive anyway. Maxell on the other hand is worth a visit. It has a reef manta ray swimming in the big tank, as well as 3 species of sawfish. This place is the only one in the world to have dwarf sawfish.
As you can see there are a lot of parks in Japan, not all of which are worth visiting. I have stated which places I don't consider going to. But there are some other parks I would like to recommend instead. When staying in Tokyo, Aquamarine Fukushima is actually not that difficult to get to. This place is the only one in the world to keep a ribbon seal. Besides this animal, it has the largest collection of deepsea/arctic fish species I have ever seen. Literally tons of species here cannot be seen in any other aquarium in the world. I hope you find a way to put this park on your list, it won't disappoint. They currently also have sevengill shark, I'm not sure if you have seen it before?
Another aquarium worth looking into is Aqua World Oarai. It holds the largest collection of sharks in the world. They currently have a juvenile tiger shark on show (I missed it, ugh), as well as salamander shark, necklace carpetshark & smooth hammerhead shark.
I know it's far out of reach, but Asa zoo also got the only pair of forest elephants outside Africa. Port Of Nagoya Public Aquarium has emperor penguins. Higashiyama Zoo has over 100 species of killifish & a small Indian civet.
Those are my recommendations. Took me over an hour to write all of this, haha. Good luck with your trip. Feel free to contact me on Facebook (Jo Kuyken), if you have any other questions.
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