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Asahikawa City Asahiyama Zoo has become famous nationwide by adopting the “behavior exhibition” method that allows animals to draw out their original ecology and behavior. Many people come every day to see the lively animals at a glance. Here are some tips for efficiently visiting the popular zoo, which is crowded with such spectators!

There are 3 entrances to the zoo on the mountain slope
Asahikawa City Asahiyama Zoo (hereinafter abbreviated as Asahiyama Zoo), the northernmost zoo in Japan, is located in the suburbs of Asahikawa City, Hokkaido. It is a zoo that spreads out on the slope of the mountain, and there are three entrances. There are main gate and west gate near the foot of the mountain, and east gate on the top of the mountain.

The area with many animals extends from the foot of the mountain to the middle, so it is convenient to use the main gate or the west gate. The closest to the center is the West Gate, but there is no free parking lot near the West Gate, only private toll parking lots. In addition, it is easier to secure a parking lot at the east gate during busy times such as Saturdays, Sundays, and summer vacation. For group visits such as tour buses, basically the East Gate is used.

▲The east gate overlooks the entire zoo. On days when the air is clear, you can see the city of Asahikawa in the distance.

It is best to aim for the visit time as soon as possible after the park opens. The parking lot may be crowded and you may have to park far away when it is late, and it is more likely that you will be able to see the animals in good shape earlier.

Let’s go inside the zoo!

First, go to “Kabakan”. Only now before I fall asleep!

Hippos are nocturnal, so they sleep during the day. If you don’t go first thing in the morning, you won’t be able to see it lively!

▲The hippopotamus has dived into the water! It’s hard to see this except in the morning and evening

The highlight here is the pool, which is about 3m deep, in the indoor range. You can see the movement of the hippopotamus in the water from the side and directly below!

▲A hippopotamus is swimming leisurely overhead. There is power!

▲Meet the hippopotamus ~! I wonder if they can communicate with each other !?

Ostriches and desert warthogs, which grow in the same environment as hippos in nature, are spending time in the Kabakan in order to get as close as possible to the environment in which wild hippos live.

Amime Kirin, which grows in the same environment as a hippopotamus, is also located in the Kirinsha, which is right next to the Kabakan. In “Kirinsha”, there are pelicans and guinea fowl that live in the same environment in the natural world. Moreover, they live together in the same space as Amime Kirin.

Breeding and displaying animals with the same habitat in the same space is called symbiotic exhibition, which is also a characteristic exhibition method of Asahiyama Zoo. In addition to “Kirinsha”, similar exhibitions are held at “Seal House” and “Spider Monkey / Kapiparakan”.

▲A giraffe is in front of you when you leave the Kabakan! There are places where you can observe from your feet and places where you can observe from the height of your head.

Check the feeding time and go to “Polar Bear House”

“Feeding time” is a must-see for a tour of Asahiyama Zoo! It’s time to see the moment of eating food, which maximizes the animal-like character.
It is decided every morning which animal will eat from what time. The “feeding time” time of each animal is announced every morning on the official website and on the bulletin board in the park. It is a good idea to use this time as a reference when planning a tour of the park.

A polar bear walking leisurely on a rocky place seems to be dignified !?

The “mogumogu time” that you can’t miss is a polar bear! It’s hard to see people diving or swimming in a huge pool, but during “mogumogu time”, food is sprinkled in the water, so you can almost certainly see them swimming vigorously!

Spectators gathered to see the polar bears swimming in the water.

However, the place where you can observe the “feeding time” of polar bears is in front of the aquarium inside the “Polar Bear House” building. It’s not a very large place, so many people can’t enter. Therefore, there are restrictions on admission, and after a short tour of 10 minutes, the place will be handed over to the next group. Moreover, polar bears aren’t eating forever, so I had to go early to finish …
If you want to see the “feeding time” here, it’s better to go before the start time.

The day I visited started at 11:00. Visit about 15 minutes ago to secure a place to visit!

There are even more recommended tour points at the Polar Bear House. You can peep at the polar bears roaming the outdoor range from inside the capsule called “Shields Eye”!

▲”Shields Eye” that you can peep in the mood of a seal that polar bears prey on

▲I’m attacked !? The person who was looking from inside the capsule at this time was surely thrilled !?

If you come to Asahiyama Zoo, a columnar aquarium for seals, you should see this!

Next to the Polar Bear House, there is the Seal House, where polar bears, who fear polar bears as natural enemies, live. Inside this building, there is a super-standard tour spot “Marine Way (cylindrical aquarium)”.

▲When the seals pass, cheers will be heard saying “Kya!” And “Oh!”

From the hall, you can see the seals swimming in the huge aquarium through the glass. A narrow channel extending from the bottom of the aquarium leads to a columnar aquarium that extends close to the surface of the water.
Since seals are mammals, they can be seen frequently passing by, from bottom to top and from top to bottom, using the habit of moving up and down to breathe.

▲A “marine way” that is not a “runway”. Cheers occur every time a seal passes

The “Marine Way” is a very popular spot, so many people are always around it. If you’re aiming for a little free time, right after the seal’s “mogumogu time”!

▲The breeding exhibition staff will hand over the bait fish or throw it to eat.

An outdoor range with small fishing boats and tetrapods, inspired by a fishing port in Hokkaido. Many people watch “feeding”

Since “feeding” is done in the outside range, there are not many seals in the aquarium during the event. In other words, even if you enter the hall at this time, you can not see many seals, so the inside is rattle. However, when the “feeding” is finished, all the seals will return to the aquarium at once, so if you go to see the “Marine Way” aiming for the timing immediately after the end, there is a high possibility that you can see it relatively relaxedly.

To another notable spot, “Penguin House”

Opposite the Seal House is the Penguin House, where penguins live.
The “Penguins Walk”, which is held every year when it snows, is famous. Many people have seen photos, etc. !?

▲You can see the penguins walking freely in front of you (Photo courtesy of Asahiyama Zoo)

A lot of spectators visit the side of the walking route (Photo courtesy of Asahiyama Zoo)

Even when there is no snow, you can see the lovely figure and the lively swim up close!

▲I wonder if I’m talking through the glass next to the outdoor pool !?

Face to face through the glass even in an indoor aquarium

The view point of “Penguin House” is an underwater tunnel with a 360-degree view!

Penguins are swimming freely no matter where you look up, down, left or right

The aim time for a relaxing tour of the Penguin House is when the feeding Time is held at the nearby Seal House and Polar Bear House.
It is a difficult place to take “feeding time” or penguins. It depends on what time the “feeding time” on the day you visit will be held.

However, there are many people who are waiting for the “penguins walk” in winter from a very early stage beside the walk route even in the extremely cold weather. If you want to see it up close, you may want to be prepared (!?) And secure a viewpoint early.

Here are some recommended breaks, lunches and souvenirs!

You’ll get tired if you just visit. In the park, there are spots and souvenir shops where you can take a break and eat, such as near the main gate and west gate, near the central “Seal House” and near the east gate.

The zoo central dining room next to the “Seal House”. Almost full during the day

I’m worried about the timing of lunch. Everyone thinks that they want to eat at lunch time without the highlight time such as “mogumogu time”. The lunch place will be crowded depending on the time of day.
Unless you want to have a relaxing meal at a restaurant, if you want to see as many animals as possible in a limited amount of time, we recommend the ones that you can easily eat or take out.

“Mogumogu Lunch Pack” 1,300 yen (tax included). Like Hokkaido !? Choose “Fried rice bowl from Genghis Khan”. 730 yen (tax included) for a single bowl

You can eat ramen and pork bowls at the zoo central cafeteria, but we recommend the Mogumogu Lunch Pack. You can choose one from “Fried rice bowl from Genghis Khan”, “Imo pork bowl”, and “Imo pork sukiyaki bowl”, and it comes with a cute lunch box. You can eat it inside the store, or you can take it out and eat it on the bench or on the lawn outside. The lunch box is a souvenir.
For even more light meals, we also recommend “Menchi-katsu with sika deer”! It is a fast food that you can easily eat.

“Menchi-katsu with sika deer” 230 yen (tax included). There was no odor and it was a juicy taste

However, it is naturally NG to eat a take-out meal in front of the animals. The smell of human food should not irritate animals.

There is a central shop next to the central cafeteria. Here you can buy souvenirs such as sweets and goods limited to Asahiyama Zoo.

We asked the shop staff to tell us about the sweets and goods that have the highest sales.

800 yen (tax included) containing 40 “banana cookies” that are popular for competing for 1 or 2 at this store

“Banana cookies” are individually wrapped and are popular because they are easy to share. The most popular item is this one, which is mainly practical among students.

“Asahiyama Zoo Original Stamp Set” 880 yen (tax included)

Besides, there are many sweets and goods with cute designs! Please take a break and look for your favorite.

Tour the origin of Asahiyama Zoo

Asahiyama Zoo was in danger of closing due to a drop in the number of visitors for a while, but it was revived and revived by reviewing the animal display method and adopting the behavior exhibition method. The first action exhibition is “Totori no Mura” near the main gate, which was completed in 1997.

A huge birdcage “Totori no Mura” where the forest is completely covered with nets

The entire facility, which is overgrown with trees, is surrounded by nets so that waterfowl can fly around freely.
Once inside, it feels like you are walking along the riverside in the forest! It’s an environment rich in nature that you can’t imagine being in the net.

▲This is in the net !?

▲It’s like walking in a garden somewhere, but it’s also in the net.

▲It’s coming close enough to touch swans, guns, ducks, etc.

You can see the waterfowl spending leisurely

After the opening of “Totori no Mura”, new facilities such as “Penguin House” and “Seal House” opened little by little every year, and the number of visitors increased year by year. Today, it is a popular spot in Hokkaido that is visited by many tourists from home and abroad.

The facilities introduced this time are only a part of the park. There are many animals that show a lively appearance, and many newborn baby animals.
The northernmost zoo in Japan, visited by many people from all over the world. Please take a closer look while checking the time of “Mogumogu Time”! I’m sure there will be new discoveries and new encounters.

Fiscal year 2021

Section	Time frame	Time
Summer opening	April 29, 2021 (Thursday and holiday)-Friday, October 15, 2021	9:30am-5:15pm (the last entrance/4:00pm)
Summer opening	Saturday, October 16, 2021-November 3, 2021 (Wednesday and holiday)	9:30am-4:30pm (the last entrance/4:00pm)
Zoo at night	Tuesday, August 10, 2021-Monday, August 16, 2021	9:30am-9:00pm (the last entrance/8:00pm)
Winter opening	Thursday, November 11, 2021-Thursday, April 7, 2022	10:30am-3:30pm (the last entrance/3:00pm)

・(Addition) closed: April 8, 2021-April 28 and November 4-November 10 and December 30-January 1, 2022
・(Addition) there is no days closed during an open period except for New Year’s (December 30-January 1).
・(Addition) I sometimes close without announcing beforehand at time with the fear which hinders safety in the park and smooth operation.
・Extension in the open hour is scheduled for time Lantern Festival as a zoo at night.