ATAGAWA TROPICAL & ALLIGATOR GARDEN — Attraction in Higashiizu

植物の所で感動しました。色んな種類で、とてもすごい量で、すごく綺麗に育ってて、美しいと思いました。マナティーとインコはとても可愛かった。ワニでいろんな種類があって、健康で、とても良かったです。ワニはほとんど動かない動物ですので、「ワニが動かなかった！」や「ワニのショウが欲しい」の文句言っている人はワニの性格明らかに分かっていないでしょう。テレビ見すぎ。 又行ける時のはたのは楽しみです。 I thought that as a botanical garden, it was amazing. They had tons of tropical trees, and a lot of fruit trees, with different varieties of each species. The trees were exquisitely cared for and all of the orchids were flowering. I had never seen such well tended for plants in a botanical garden. Many of the trees looks like bonsai trees, because in the tropics they grow really big, so in order to keep them small for the greenhouse they shape them. I was really impressed with the garden.

The alligators were also quite interesting. Alligators and crocodiles don't move much, but their life cycles and biology are fascinating. It's sad to hear people complain about the Park because the alligators didn't move much; they watch too much TV. This isn't animal planet. These are real alligators, they aren't going to be rushing around trying to attack everything they see. It doesn't work that way. In general they sit very still and wait for their prey to come. And that might be once every few days. They are relaxed, silent animals.

The manatee was adorable. He came right up to my hand. He squeezed his eyes shut like he was trying to sniff through the glass with his big soft muzzle. Apparently he enjoys a good rub-down every week. It would be great if there was some way to touch him, like maybe a big round hole in the glass, some lettuce in a tray, and someone to keep watch, because I think both people and the manatee would enjoy it. I think chances like this for people to connect with animals at parks makes those visits more memorable.

I look forward to the next time that I can go...

The gardens are seriously amazing! There's three separate areas and they just keep going and going. First area has all the crocodiles and caiman you could wish for, then you cross the street and start through the maze of green houses full of blooming flowers even in the middle of November. Everything is well cared for and it was stunning. Then you take a shuttle bus up the hill to the third area and even more greenhouses and gardens including an entire room of banana trees! This area has a small zoo featuring red pandas. So cute! We...

I expected an old, tacky zoo and thought the entrance fee of 1,800 yen was really expensive (can get a discount with JAF membership) but to my pleasant surprise, the place was quite big and well-kept. There were lots to see: alligators (a lot of them, some massive), red pandas, giant turtles, manatee, flamingoes, fish, and tropical plants were spread across 3 areas. They provide a shuttle bus service between the main area and the one with the red pandas. It wasn't crowded even on a Sunday so we could take our time to look...