NIFREL — Attraction in Suita

So I think I just gonna write it down here .

My Nifrel experience.

It’s very far from the Osaka center, I have to take few different bus and train to come here . When I get out of the Ibaraki station I choose to go by taxi cuz when I check if I go by taxi it’s will be quicker . The taxi driver is a very old man , I seriously don’t think that he know the Nifrel era well . So it took very long to get there (then when I check , he actually drive to far from the Nifrel 😭) . So I tell him to pull over , I gonna try to walk from now. I have to pay ¥2040 and I’m not even there yet. So after I pay him and get out of the car , I found out that I FORGOT MY PHONE ON THE TAXI . It’s take me a little moment to calm down , then I remember that I still keep the receipts, very lucky there was a lovely couple walk pass by , and I stop them and tell them please help me , they don’t speak English but they totally understand , and I give them the recipe they call the number on it , and explain everything. Lucky that I still keep my other phone - my old phone , the one I forgot it more important- and I was using google translator to talk to them 😂 . So they wait with me and they said after I got my phone back they walk with me to Nifrel ( so kind) , after like 15 -20 minutes someone call back and said they found my phone and that taxi will be back soon . I’m nearly crying, cuz that phone is very important, my credit, my flying tickets, everything inside, I’m flying from London to Japan alone , so that phone is very very very important. They wait with me till the taxi is back , the taxi driver give me back my phone and I try to tell him that I will pay him or I should give him something just wanna say thanks you , but he said no , and quickly drive away.

And the couple walk with me to the Nifrel , I ask them that eat ice cream right ? cuz I wanna thank them so much ... then went we get to the Nifrel, obviously they don’t go to Nifrel , I think they go to watch the movie , then, it’s no ice cream around here , I try to buy their cold drinks from the machine, but that machine only take ¥1000 note and smaller , I only have ¥10000 note . 😂

In the end they said it’s fine and we say goodbye to each other, I tried my best to say thank so many time like in both Japanese and English , such a lovely couple, lovely people!!!!!!

I will never forget this trip !

Good people still...

I should have done more research before visiting, because I agree with some of the other reviews about some enclosures being far too small for the animals. Based on the concept, I thought that there would be bigger and more open enclosures compared to other similar attractions in Japan. This was true for some animals, but not all.

I try to be rational about these kinds of things. For example, just because the white tiger spent a lot of time constantly pacing back and forth on its catwalk, I don't want to immediately assume that that is because of stress, because I did some searching, and many cats just tend to do that anyway.

However, what I can say for sure is that the catwalk was too small for the tiger, as it was seemingly designed only for walking through in one direction at a time. When the tiger wanted to pace back and forth, it had to slowly and awkwardly turn around, and often bumped into the glass while doing so. The area below was also not really enough for the tiger to be able to stretch its legs and walk around freely. While watching it, I felt like I was watching someone living in a tiny shoebox apartment with no privacy and little space to spread out and relax, and it made me feel uncomfortable and stressed.

As other reviews mentioned, the penguin enclosure also seemed way too small and lacking in enrichment, especially given the amount of penguins in there, just standing there doing nothing. Similarly, the alligator/crocodile box enclosures were also tiny.

I had strange mixed feelings, because in the same hall, some of the animals such as the birds and lemurs enjoyed a surprisingly open enclosure. In fact they were able to hop out of the enclosure and walk around right next to the human visitors to get from one place to another. I wouldn't say that their enclosure was fantastic by the animal welfare standards of top zoos, but it was certainly much better, considering the animals' small size. Seeing a relatively comfortable enclosure right past the tiger's cramped box was a strange experience.

The staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable, and they do seem to care about the animals' welfare, but I think that there is a limit to what can be accomplished with care and attention when the living spaces are...

Japan is the master of beautiful, minimalist, aquatic displays. I visited 3 aquariums during my vacation (not planned, just happened that way) and every time, it was mesmerizing in its own way. NIFREL is probably one of cleanest in terms of design, like a blend between a modern art exhibit and an aqua-zoo.

Located within Expocity, NIFREL fits in very well with the edu-tainment theme of the complex. For a small aquarium, it has a large variety of creatures. Most of these creatures are of the tiny oceanic variety. Rough looking fish, squishy jellyfish, and prehistoric looking crustaceans bounce, lounge, and swim around in glass boxes.

There are also surprises: a room without cages where giant birds and energetic lemurs roam free, a scaly crocodile in a makeshift river. The biggest surprise: an active white tiger prowling around in its high cage! While magnificent, it did make me feel a little sad to see. The tiger seemed out-of-place and didn't have others of its kind to interact with.

All of this animal action and NIFREL still manages to look like an art museum in some areas. Tiny, colourful, creatures reside in uniform, crystal clear boxes. In one room, streams of tiny lights are strung across the ceiling like starlight. In another room, there is a giant room-sized sphere with dynamic projections of flowers and crystals. The superb maintenance is also evident as you wander your way past dozens of meticulously clean animal homes.

While clearly emphasizing an artistic side of nature, the uniqueness of NIFREL comes from its focus on education and interactivity. The ability to stand among lemurs and capybara in their open room was definitely an experience. They also sell cool things like the "edible" water in the cafeteria, a clear ball of sweetened water jelly. Hopefully, NIFREL's emphasis and contributions to conservation are just...