Sumida Sumida Aquarium - ZooChat Never has a zoo fallen so far in my eyes post-visit. I was very complimentary of Sumida in this very thread; but looking back I'm a bit confused as to why. The Amano tanks are amazing, and this front-loads the zoo with a positive impression. The mini tanks with unusual fish are really pretty small and pretty bare. The long rectangle tanks are pretty unremarkable. The big coral tank has absolutely nothing wrong with it, but again doesn't wow. I do like the large penguin pool, but I hate the tiny sea lion tank. And finally all the goldfish stuff I could take or leave. All in all I think the presentation at Sumida beguiles you into enjoying the place far more than it deserves. Coupled with an entry price that is quite uncompetitive with relation to the municipal collections and you have a real recipe for a zoo I won't revisit next time I'm in Tokyo. However, I will stand by one part of my initial review: this is a must-visit aquarium the first time you are in town.
Ueno Ueno Zoo - ZooChat I miss Ueno. For all its flaws it is the kind of zoo that really gets stuck inside you. If Tama is a bit like Stuttgart then Ueno is Berlin. It's overflowing with rarities, and there are interesting enclosure designs as well. Sadly, like many 'great' zoos, it is a small city zoo trying to maintain a comprehensive collection. If it wants to get up to modern standards there are some tough choices to be made. Five species of bear should be two or three, and and they probably need to pick two of Rhino/Giraffe/Hippo/Elephant. With a new Asian elephant exhibit nearing completion at Tama this is the perfect time to make that move. With such a fantastic location in the heart of Tokyo Ueno really is the one zoo in Japan you can't miss.
I lost track of doing these as I went, so I'll just tidy up now. Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise - ZooChat Oh boy. If Sumida fell in my estimation over this year then Hakkeijima really plummeted. There's so much to criticise here: the small cetacean holding pools, the awful indoor exhibits for marine mammals, the desultory nature of three of the four aquariums in the park. The main Aqua Museum could be so much more with better management decisions, and the ethics of the place would really be improved if they didn't put animals on show for a few hours before they died. Like all the places I have covered on this trip, I would absolutely recommend Hakkeijima for a first visit. But, like too many, I don't think it's a place you need to see twice. Whether it will in the future hold something that makes me come back anyway is another question.
Inokashira Zoo Inokashira Park Zoo - ZooChat I'm at a bit of a loss for what to write here. Inokashira is quite a nice zoo, and if you hadn't visited any other Japanese zoos you'd be blown away by the species line-up. But if you go after Ueno and Tama it's much less exciting from that perspective. I wonder then if it might be a good zoo to do on your first day in Japan, as you can pair it with various daytime and evening activities.
Sunshine Aquarium Sunshine Aquarium - ZooChat The most Japanese of Aquariums. Looking through my photos I reminded myself that this pushes Tokyo Sealife Park pretty close for 'most interesting collection'. I think I was pretty critical of Sunshine in my initial review, justifiably so. It is simply one of those places that should know better. The Amazon area is nice though. Ironically the main reason I went, the baikal seals, were one of disappointments: the exhibit is tiny but the supposedly small seal species seemed quite normal sized. Again, a place that I think is probably worth about one visit a decade.
If a zoo nerd wanted to visit Japan and had a week in the country, what would you recommend as the absolute must-see zoos and aquariums in a limited time frame?
It obviously depends a bit on what you go for, but assuming seven days and all of them being dedicated to zoo-going: Tokyo Ueno Zoo (day) Tama Zoo (day) Tokyo Sea Life Park (half day) Sunshine Aquarium (hours) Sumida (hours) Yokohama Zoorasia (day/half day) Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (half day) 'Izu Peninsula' IZoo (hours) KawaZoo (hours) Atagama Tropical Garden (hours) Nagoya Nagoya Aquarium (?) Hagashiyama Zoo (?) Toba Aquarium (hours?) Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium (half day) If I hadn't visited before, but knew what I know now, this is perhaps the itinerary I would choose for myself. It misses out the African forest elephant at Hiroshima and there are serious questions about whether one could do Toba and Osaka in one day (I don't know). I am sure I could do both Nagoya collections in one day, but I suspect it would be tough with the zoo. It's also a bit controversial to suggest that Zoorasia is a half day zoo, but I stand by it.
Funky Gibbon! I've somehow never seen one of your threads, and this is like a bugle-call wakeup. And a forest elephant..... I clearly need to follow you! One question:. Having only ventured out of North America twice, I was wondering how English-friendly Continental and Asian zoos are? I've heard amusement parks definitely are in Asia, but zoos? And are there also amusement/zoo hybrids there? I'm always quick to say good things about the Six Flags Great Adventure Safari Park, for example, but the cost is positively prohibitive if you care nothing for the rides. Were you willing to venture to zoo/amusement parks?
Thank you (although note that I didn't see the forest elephant, hopefully next time I will go to the southern part of Japan and see it). Most of Asia is pretty friendly/accessible to English speakers. In SE Asia you will typically find plenty of English speakers, and certainly any tourism oriented things (like zoos) shouldn't be an issue. In Japan this is surprisingly less the case, but I really didn't struggle at all. For Mainland China things can be much harder, if you have travelled plenty then you will have the 'tools and tricks' to deal with it but I wouldn't really recommend it for a first time Asian experience, even though in many ways it is a wonderful place to travel. Quite often in Asia there will be huge resorts with multiple paid attractions including amusement parks and safari-style zoos. These are usually prohibitively expensive, but at least you aren't paying for rides you don't want. Because of cost, generic species lists and dubious welfare I usually only visit such places if there is something unusual about them. The one exception to this is Seaworld-type places which combine marine mammals and sometimes rides. The chance of seeing unusual pinnipeds and cetaceans is realtively high here so I usually go if I have a chance, although because most of the Chinese ones are operated by the same company I don't prioritise them over other cultural attractions if I am visiting a city for the first time.
