Nagoya’s Higashiyama Zoo opened on March 24, 1937. It is the second busiest and most popular zoo in Japan, after Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, and is one of the largest zoos in Asia. The zoo is constantly undergoing changes and renovations, with the aim of providing better living conditions for the animals, while also offering a more realistic experience for visitors.
Nagoya Zoo is located in Higashiyama Park, next to Nagoya Botanical Garden and includes an amusement park and Higashiyama Sky Tower.
The Zoo has 500 species of animals, including elephants, bison, hippos, rhinos, lions, tigers, leopards, monkeys, orangutans, gorillas, giraffes, bear, polar bears, zebras, kangaroos, wolves, flamingos, reptiles, seals, penguins and others.
The zoo contains the “Medaka Museum of the World” (collection of killifish medaka from all over the world), displays animals associated with the culture of rice cultivation in Japan, especially the medaka, a fish found in rice fields throughout Japan and the rest of the world. Asia. The “Museum of Natural Animals”, where visitors can study nocturnal animals, and the “Children’s Zoo”, where visitors can get in direct contact with small animals.
Rhinoceros
Elephant
Deer / Kangaroo / Flamingo
Tiger / Lion
Giraffe
Bears
Koala
Polar Bear / Seal / Penguin
Carnivorous Animal Cage
Pedal Boat
Nursery
Red Panda / Japanese Macaque
Giant Turtle
Hippo
Jaguar
Nocturnal Animals
Chimpanzee / Gorilla / Orangutan / Siamang
Small Cages
Animal Area of America
In the northern part of the zoo, there is a children’s amusement park with a Ferris wheel, carousel, mystery house, surprise house, mirror house, flying teacup, flying eagle, flying flower storm, flying red baron, flying bee, monorail train, koala train, Viking boat, rotating giraffe and roller coasters.
The Higashiyama Tower is 134 meters high in the shape of a glass needle (The tower sits on top of an 80 meter hill, so its total height is 214 meters) and offers superb views of the zoo, botanical gardens, Nagoya city and surrounding areas.
The Botanical Garden was opened before the zoo, in 1937, with an area of 27.37 hectares. Here the plants are arranged to take advantage of the natural terrain, so that visitors can enjoy the environment that is constantly changing throughout the seasons. Due to the large number of gardens, it is almost impossible for visitors to visit them all in one day.
The large greenhouse is the original installation from when it opened and is the oldest existing greenhouse in Japan, considered a national important cultural property and was designated as a national important cultural property in 2006.
Another notable property on the sprawling grounds is a traditional wooden Gassho-Zukuri house with an A-frame structure and its distinctive thick thatched roof. The house was relocated from the Shirakawa-Go World Heritage Site in Gifu Prefecture.
You will enjoy a peaceful stroll while listening to the birds chirping in the Japanese gardens and also visit the famous Yayuen Garden, named after the famous samurai poet and scholar Yokoi Yayu of the Owari Domain.
The Cherry Blossom Garden attracts thousands of people from mid-March to late April to enjoy the cherry blossoms. And when it gets dark, the lights come on, leaving the cherry blossoms dazzling.
And still in April until mid-May, 900 bushes of 150 species of azaleas bloom.
And from May to June, roses bloom. There are about 900 colorful roses of 230 types, with orange, white, red, pink and mixed colors.
And in November, when the 500 maple trees begin to change color, leaving their leaves red, yellow and orange, the place transforms into a spectacular scene. Also at this time, the lights come on to the delight of visitors.
- Tourist Attraction: Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden.
- Location: Nagoya / Aichi.
- Hours: 9:00 to 16:30.
- Zoo and Botanical Garden: Adults 500 yen / Free for ages 15 and under.
- Sky Tower Admission: 300 yen.
- Zoo Admission with Sky Tower Ticket: 640 yen.
- Cherry Blossom Season: Mid-March to late April.
- Azalea (Rhododendron) Season: Late April to mid-May.
- Rose Season: Mid-May to early June.
- Autumn Leaves Season: Every year in November.
- Bathroom: Available.
- Parking: 800 yen for cars / 400 yen for motorcycles / 2,000 yen for large vehicles
- Closed: Every Monday
Aichi Nagoya Chikusa-ku Higashiyamamoto-machi 3-70