Kanei-ji Gojunoto (Five Story Pagoda) — Attraction in Tokyo

DO NOT GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would give this zoo zero stars if I could. It was cheap and animals are cute, so of course it’s going to attract people. I didn’t do my research beforehand and I should have. The problem is as so many have said, the zoo takes almost NO effort to mimic an animal’s natural habitat, and the animals are neglected.

Most of the animals are kept in brown pens that have dirt on the ground, a water bowl, and a small space they can get away to… which is the bare minimum for what an animal needs to survive physically (stay alive) but not in a healthy way. For example, Emu’s need a large space to run & love to take dips in water. The emu at this zoo was kept in a tiny pen with no water for them to swim in… and a few trees thrown into the enclosure. It had a line of feathers missing from its head to it’s back - unclear if due to disease or stress plucking or what. And there was only one Emu, when they are pack animals and do best in pairs or small groups (and watched during mating season to prevent aggression to other males).

Two of the pheasants were standing at the back of their enclosure, facing the door and pecking at it, trying to get it to open. The horses weren’t groomed/had no room to move about because again they were in a too small enclosure for their size, and the goat looked sick/frail - with its belly caving in like it hadn’t eaten in a few days. The red pandas were literally walking around their enclosure in circles, and someone commented “they are walking around and around and around.” Not for fun but just out of sheer stress.

The enclosures were dirty, so much so that the pandas weren’t black and white but brown and black from all the dirt and dust. It was honestly the saddest, least maintained, and neglectful zoo I have ever been to. Those animals should be living a life way better than that. And zoos can be a hopeful inspiring place to go when the animals are in environments that mimic their natural habitats and receive the care that they deserve… it’s a shame this one leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth.

AT PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN JAPAN: I KNOW OUTSIDER OPINIONS AND OPINIONS THAT GO AGAINST THE GRAIN AREN’T LISTENED TO THAT MUCH, BUT LITERALLY THE WHOLE KAWAII CULTURE IS CUTENESS, SO ADVOCATE TO UPGRADE THIS ZOO AND CHANGE THE POLICIES AROUND ANIMAL WELFARE HERE SO THE ANIMALS CAN THRIVE AND BE CUTE. WHAT’S THE POINT OF CUTE PLUSHIES IF THE ANIMALS THEY ARE BASED ON ARE SUFFERING...

Ueno Zoo (Tokyo)

Ueno Zoo is a historic zoo located in Tokyo’s Ueno district, a cultural area full of attractions like Ueno Park, temples, and museums. The ticket costs only 600 yen (about 3.51 CHF / 3.64 EUR) and can be purchased online by scanning the QR code at the entrance. The website can be switched to English and you’ll receive a QR code to present at the gate. The zoo is open 9:30–17:00, last entry at 16:00.

The zoo is divided into two main areas: one with large animals like elephants, tigers, monkeys, and buffaloes; the other with pandas, penguins, nocturnal animals, reptiles, and exotic birds. The space is well-maintained, clean, with shaded paths, benches, and food areas. There’s also a beautiful pond with an island full of birds—like something out of a movie.

Pandas are the main attraction. You must queue separately for the male and female panda. It’s not too long a wait, but I recommend going early in the morning, before the crowds arrive (especially school groups). A fun detail: many Japanese panda fans show up dressed almost entirely in black, carrying huge cameras and lenses. When the panda does something funny, they all react in sync. Very unique to witness.

Some of the most interesting animals include: • Penguins • Shoebill (a prehistoric-looking bird) • Nocturnal animals visible under infrared lights • Prairie dogs, frogs, amphibians, and more

I’m not usually a fan of zoos, but this one gave me a new appreciation for the diversity of animal life. I saw creatures I’d never seen in person before. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish the full visit because later in the day it got really crowded and there were lines for nearly everything.

Overall, it’s absolutely worth it: the price is low, the animal variety is great, and it’s well-organized. Ideal for families, couples, or solo travelers—just go early and...

We heard that the giant pandas would be returned to China soon, so we decided that we should try to see them while we were in Tokyo. I’ll get to the pandas a little later, but cover the zoo first.

The zoo, overall, was a nice place to visit. There were plenty of people, but overall, it was not crowded. There were a lot of animals to see. My favorite was probably the Japanese squirrels. They were very active and so cute. The owls were also interesting, and one spoke while we were watching. Unfortunately my wife didn’t hear it, and the owl wouldn’t repeat itself.

Many of the larger animals were feeding while we were there. We never saw the lion, the tiger was waiting to get in to eat, and only one of the elephants was visible. The polar bears were pacing, perhaps bored, or waiting to eat. Overall, the animals did not seem to be engaged or have much to keep them busy. It was still interesting place to stand and watch the animals for a while.

As for the pandas... they are pandas, and you don’t get to see them at many zoos. A lot of people came to the zoo only to see the pandas, and the line on the day we went was 30 minutes. Looking at the crowd control, I believe that weekends are likely much longer. One of the three pandas was not out, and the other two pandas were towards the back of their enclosures, and not completely visible. Since there were so many people wanting to see them, there were zoo employees there to verbally push the crowd to continue to continue. For our 30 minute wait, we maybe got to see than pandas for 30-60 seconds between the two before we could no longer see them. I felt like that was not a good use of time, and we could see the pandas better on TV. I’m not sure this is a great place to visit to see pandas, but it is the only place I’ve been...