Shizuoka with a baby (0–1) 4 spots
Shizuoka is Mount Fuji facing the sea, with tea planted on the slopes in between. Its safari park drives you past lions with the mountain itself in the background, and the Izu coast has warm beaches and hot springs.
A safari park you drive through in your own car, past lions and elephants.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
A zoo of about 130 species on 13 hectares, with a 390-meter roller slide.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
An aquarium built into a natural cove on Suruga Bay, Japan's deepest.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
Sawayaka Charcoal Grill Restaurant, Shizuoka Ikeda
A charcoal-grill restaurant found only in Shizuoka, serving a 250g hamburg steak.
Stroller OK · checked Aug ’26
The Safari Zone is driven through in your own car, so lions, elephants and giraffes pass the window while your baby stays in the car seat — no walking, no queueing with a baby in arms. You may drive the Safari Zone as many times as you like within opening hours, so if she falls asleep you can go round again once she wakes.The nursing room is the Mammy Room: three diaper changing beds, three nursing booths and a hot water dispenser. Its tap water is chilled for making formula and is not for drinking. Diaper changing is also possible in the toilets at Parking Lot 1, beside the Safari Shop, beside Frontier, at Fureai Bokujo, at Doubutsu Mura and behind the bakery. Disposable diapers are sold at the Safari Shop (pull-up type, L 530 yen / M 500 yen), which also rents strollers at 1,000 yen each (9:00-17:30; 10:00-16:30 from November to March 10). Children 3 and under enter free. You cannot check in on foot — come by car, or arrive by bus or taxi and check in at the information desk beside the toll gate.
There are nine indoor animal houses — red panda, penguin, the visitor centre, Moujukan 299, the petting zoo, orangutan, nocturnal animals, tropical birds and reptiles — so on a hot or a rainy day the whole visit can stay under a roof, in arms or in the stroller. In the Flying Mega Dome, one of the largest flight cages in Japan, the beat of the birds' wings reaches you.Rental strollers are 300 yen per use at the Entrance Gate and the East Gate, for children up to 2 who can hold their heads up. There are five nursing rooms — the Information Corner, the Rest House, the petting zoo, the rest area beside the amusement area, and the summit plaza — each with a diaper changing bed and air conditioning. Diapers are sold at the Doubutsu-tachi no Mori shop, the shop in front of the petting zoo, and a vending machine on the 4th floor of Moujukan 299. Preschoolers enter free. Last entry is 16:00.
The Fuwa Room is a one-bedroom-sized space for looking, slowly, at the jellyfish and other drifting creatures of Suruga Bay — a room where you can simply stand still with a baby in your arms. Penpara takes you inside the space where the penguins live, close enough for their movements, their calls and even their smell.Strollers for children under 24 months are lent free at the ticket window, in limited numbers and with no reservations. Diaper changing tables are at the main entrance and in the toilet beside the Dolphin Sea show stage, and Mitosea mini Paradise has both a changing table and a nursing room. Children up to 3 enter free. There are slopes throughout, but some are steep and some take you the long way round. The outdoor show arena is roofed, though parts of the site are not, so bring an umbrella — a few loaners are available. With that day's ticket you may re-enter until 30 minutes before closing.
The children's menu includes a baby food, shirasu no zosui (rice porridge with whitebait), at 170 yen, so the baby eats at the same table. Child seats are available from seven months: tell the staff as you are shown in and they bring one to the table and set it up. You can come in with the stroller.The child seats have a belt to stop the child slipping out, but the shop notes that fit varies from child to child, so use it with care. When the entrance is crowded the staff will help with the stroller, so just ask. The entrance passage is about 80 cm wide. Whether a branch has a multipurpose restroom or a diaper-changing space differs by shop, so check the facilities listed for the Shizuoka Ikeda branch on the official Find a Shop page before you set out. There are no reservations; at Shizuoka Ikeda ticket issuing starts at 9:30 and the shop opens at 10:45 (10:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). Every branch is non-smoking at all hours.