zoo

Three generations of family went to Tohoku Safari Park! [Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture]

My family and I visited Tohoku Safari Park in Fukushima Prefecture, spanning three generations.
In this article, I'll introduce the highlights of Tohoku Safari Park.

What is Tohoku Safari Park?

Tohoku Safari Park is a zoo located in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.
It covers an area of ​​1.5 million square meters.
where lions, giraffes, elephants, deer, and zebras arefree-roaming areakept, there is also a "relaxing area" where sheep and camels are kept, a "reptile house" with crocodiles and snakes, and a "petting area" where monkeys and guinea pigs are kept.

Incidentally, the Ebisu Circuit is located next to the zoo, and loud noises can often be heard in the area near the circuit.
I personally didn't find the noise bothersome, but I thought it was a unique feature not often found in other zoos, so I'm mentioning it here.

As someone whose father (now deceased) was from Fukushima City, I had visited Fukushima Prefecture frequently since childhood. This summer, however, I visited Fukushima for the first time with my mother, wife, and three daughters, making it a three-generation family trip.
Furthermore, since none of us except my wife had ever experienced a safari park, let alone Tohoku Safari Park, we decided to take this opportunity to visit.

<Information>Tohoku Safari Park

Google Map

We recommend renting a safari car when entering the free-range area

located near Nihonmatsu Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line, whichNihonmatsu Station EntranceYou can also reach Tohoku Safari Park by taking a Fukushima Kotsu bus bound for Shiozawa Onsen from the
However, there are only four buses a day (note that the schedule differs significantly between weekdays and holidays), so most people will likely drive themselves.
If you access by car, it takes about 15 minutes from the Nihonmatsu Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway.

Entrance to Tohoku Safari Park (Fukushima Tourism Information websitefrom

At the entrance, you can pay the admission fee and other charges without getting out of your car and enter the park directly by car.
I entered using the same-day admission fee, but there are also discounted advance tickets available, so please take advantage of them.

tohoku-safaripark.co.jp
Price Guide | Tohoku Safari Park - A huge gathering of animals from all over the world!
http://tohoku-safaripark.co.jp/price
It's so impressive! Get up close and personal with the animals! See, touch, and feel the lives of animals living according to their wild instincts at a distance you wouldn't normally experience

Upon entering the park, the first thing you should do is probably head to the free-roaming area.
In the free-roaming area,

  • Enter in the car you came in
  • Enter with Safari Rental Car
  • Take the park bus

There are three ways to enter.
Of course, there will be an additional charge if you use a safari rental car or the park bus.
However, this is clearly stated on the park's official website.

*We do not offer any compensation for damage to your vehicle caused by animals.
*Please be aware that scratches on your vehicle, damage to side mirrors, door visors, etc. may occur.
*We recommend using a safari rental car when entering the park.

The notice states that you should not enter the area in your own car or a rental car you picked up elsewhere, andI would absolutely not recommend it.
"some of the safari rental cars do not have side mirrorsI think you will understand why I don't recommend it if I say that
(even cars with side mirrors are instructed to be folded in when entering the free-roaming area).
So my family and I rode in a zebra-patterned safari rental car.

Upon entering the free-roaming area, you first pass through an area where lions roam freely.
Not only is it forbidden to get out of your vehicle in this area, butstopping is also prohibited due to the danger.
The lions were leisurely going about their business, and we hardly saw them moving, but perhaps this is what lions are truly like.

After leaving the lion area, you enter the herbivore area.
Here, you can open your car windows and feed the animals.
The animals know that they will be fed when a car approaches, so they come running towards it in droves.
They bump their noses and horns against the side windows of the car... they are herbivores, but they are anything but "herbivorous."

Herbivores approaching the car (photographed by the author; all subsequent photos were taken by the author or accompanying persons)

Some animals drool on the windows, making them quite dirty, so you'll definitely regret entering in your own car.
With animals being so aggressive, you might think your car would be surrounded and unable to move, but strangely, the animals never stand in front of the car indefinitely.
Perhaps they understand that standing in front of the car is dangerous.

The elephants were kept in an enclosure, so we couldn't get close by car, but when we threw food onto the ground in front of the fence, they skillfully used their trunks to pick it up and eat it.
Even the adults were impressed by this.

My two-year-old youngest daughter was intimidated by the uninhibited animals and refused to feed them, but my eldest daughter (second grade) and second daughter (four years old) happily tossed food at the animals, and we ran out of it halfway through.
Conveniently, there was a kind of intermediate gate where we could buy more food.
The price was half of what we paid at the entrance, a perfect price.
Of course, we ended up buying some.

The attraction area offers different shows every day

After leaving the free-roaming area, we went to the attraction area.
Animal shows are held here.
The content changes from day to day, and on the day I visited, there was a sea lion show and a monkey performance.

Interaction Square

Next, we visited the petting zoo.
Here, you can touch and feed rabbits, guinea pigs, ring-tailed lemurs, and other animals.
My eldest daughter seemed to particularly enjoy it.

Kitakata ramen at a restaurant

There's a restaurant almost in the center of the safari park.
It's a diner with a slightly retro, Showa-era feel.
Unlike many places in leisure facilities, it wasn't expensive and the food was good; the prices were reasonable.
Since we were in Fukushima Prefecture, my wife and I had Kitakata ramen.

There is also a souvenir shop on the premises, and each of my three daughters bought a stuffed animal that they liked

Parrots making a fuss in the reptile house

We passed through the "Walking Area" where red pandas, white tigers, and lions are kept, and the "Relaxation Square" where sheep and Bactrian camels are kept, and finally visited the Reptile House

Python shedding its skin

Inside the building, a large python was in the middle of shedding its skin.
My eldest daughter, who is very particular about seeing things through to the end, wanted to watch the shedding process, which was only about halfway done, but I eventually had to make her give up.

And despite being called a reptile house,parrotsthey also keep
I had never seen a parrot say "hello" or "bye-bye" before, so it was quite a shocking experience.
And although it did say goodbye, it seemed reluctant to let the visitors leave and started to thrash around, perhaps trying to keep them there (the sign also said that this was the parrot's personality). It was
the last, and in a way the most memorable, event at Tohoku Safari Park.

summary

This was my first safari park experience, and I was able to enjoy all the things I expected from a safari park, such as observing animals up close and feeding them.
My wife, mother, and children also seemed to have made their own memories as we headed home.
I highly recommendrenting a safari carand seeing the free-roaming animals up close.

As a side note, I visited during the summer holidays but before the Obon festival, and it wasn't overly crowded.
It's one of the places I would recommend for those who want to go out during long holidays but want to avoid excessive crowds.

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