Hirakawa Zoological Park
About 130 species live in this zoo, which also has a Ferris wheel and go-karts.
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Hirakawa Zoological Park
SaveAbout 130 species live in this zoo, which also has a Ferris wheel and go-karts.
Families with toddlers break the walk at two foot baths fed by a hot spring 1,500m below the park.
MoreWhat kind of place
Kagoshima city owns this zoo and runs it through a city park foundation.
About 900 animals from some 130 species live here, on grounds split into regions: Africa, the Indian forest, Australia, South America, and bears of the world.
A small amusement park with a Ferris wheel and go-karts sits inside the same gates. The foot baths are fed by a hot spring that rises from about 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) below the park.
Sources and evidence (29)
- Strollers and pull-along wagons are rented at the information counter just inside the entrance gate, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Strollers are 200 to 500 yen per visit and a wagon is 100 yen.source
- Four strollers are for rent, each priced per visit. For a child aged 1 to 2 there are two: one with a sun canopy (300 yen) and one without (200 yen). A larger canopied one takes children from one month old up to 18 kg / 40 lb (500 yen), and there is a baby model for 1 to 3 months (300 yen).source
- Stroller rental per visit is 500 yen for the first type, 300 yen for the second, 200 yen for the third, and 300 yen for the baby model, and a pull-along wagon is 100 yen.source
- The rental strollers are not meant for babies who cannot yet hold their head up or sit on their own.source
- The fee table on the hours and admission page lists the canopied strollers at 500 yen and 300 yen per visit and the one without a canopy at 200 yen.source
- A child's tricycle may be used inside the park if it has a push handle for the parent.source
- Disposable baby diapers are sold at every shop in the park, at 200 yen including tax for a pack of two in size L.source
- Nine restrooms have small urinals for toddlers, among them the women's restroom beside the entrance gate, the restroom at the ride area in the amusement park, the restroom in the animal learning hall, and the children's toilet inside the women's restroom in the South America nature zone.source
- Toddler urinals are also in the women's restroom in front of the parking lot, the women's restroom below the cafeteria, the restroom beside the big cat house, the women's restroom in the bears of the world zone, and the restroom in the South America nature zone.source
- There are 14 priority parking spaces near the entrance.source
- A shuttle bus runs inside the park, free for anyone to ride, and each bus carries up to 15 people.source
- The shuttle bus can stow wheelchairs and strollers, and on two of the buses, the Nangoku Shirokuma and the Koala, you can ride while staying in your wheelchair.source
- The shuttle bus has two routes, an inner loop mainly on weekdays and an outer loop mainly on weekends, running about every 15 minutes.source
- The cafeteria is certified under Japan's program for welcoming, barrier-free service at tourism facilities.source
- The all-in-one rest area in the Indian forest zone puts a lawn, a shelter, a foot bath, a nursing room, and an accessible restroom in one place, and the Swan Pond rest house is being built out the same way.source
- There are four covered rest shelters: in front of the Africa zone, at the amusement park, at the rest field, and in the Indian forest zone.source
- The rest house stands in front of Swan Pond and has a roof, so it works on rainy days.source
- The park has four shops selling snacks and light food, plus one selling souvenirs and its own original goods.source
- The souvenir shop is open from 9:00 to 16:55, and the last time to go in is 16:45.source
- Coin lockers near the entrance gate cost 200 yen per use for the 40 cm by 50 cm size and 300 yen for the 40 cm by 75 cm size.source
- Umbrellas 60 cm long can be rented for 100 yen per use.source
- About 130 species and 900 animals live at Hirakawa Zoological Park.source
- The park has its own small amusement park with a Ferris wheel, go-karts, a merry-go-round, and a tower ride.source
- Animals can be touched at the touching corner, with rabbits and guinea pigs, and at the petting corner, with goats and sheep, and each runs at set times.source
- The open-air Green Terrace beside the cafeteria looks out over the Africa zone and Sakurajima, a view you can eat in front of only here.source
- The two foot baths, in front of the Africa zone and in the Indian forest zone, use hot spring water that rises from 1,500 meters below the park.source
- The park is laid out in zones, among them the Africa zone, the Indian forest zone, the Australia nature zone, the South America nature zone, the bears of the world zone, the petting area, and the animal learning hall.source
- The shops are lined with stuffed giraffes, elephants, red pandas, koalas, and white tigers, which hints at the animals the park keeps.source
- The shuttle buses are decorated after the park's popular animals and are named Whitey, Nangoku Shirokuma, and Koala.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Seeing the animals takes about two hours on foot, and with the rides and rest stops families with small children usually spend closer to three.
When small legs are worn out, you can stop at one of the two hot-spring foot baths: shoes off, sit on the edge, feet in.
Two petting corners run at set times each day — one where kids can pet rabbits and guinea pigs, one where they walk in among the goats and sheep — so checking the day's times when you arrive keeps you from missing them.
Some animals head back indoors from about 3:45 p.m., so seeing them in the morning and saving the Ferris wheel and go-karts for later means you get both.
Sources and evidence (6)
- A 4- and 2-year-old: animals first, fairground after — about 3 hours. Koalas mostly asleep; a rest at the foot bath.source
- A vet's own round. The koala house has no glass, so you smell the eucalyptus; you may catch a keeper feeding them paste.source
- Lunch with a 2-year-old: Satsuma fish and chips, Y550 — sweet potato and kibinago, salted light enough for a toddler.source
- Summer as it actually looks: misting fans dotted round the park, giraffes hiding in shade, deer standing in the water.source
- An annual-pass regular: parking Y200, rides Y50 indoors and Y100 outdoors. The signed route says 2 hours; he takes 3.source
- A winter day: four koalas fast asleep, giraffes up close, a warm-up at the foot bath, go-karts ¥100 for one or two.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The shuttle around the park runs as three animal-shaped buses - Whitey, Nangoku Shirokuma and Koala - free for anyone, every 15 minutes or so, carrying up to 15 people and with room to stow a stroller on board. When legs give out there are two foot baths, in front of the Africa Zone and in the India Forest Zone, fed by a hot spring drawn from 1,500 meters below the park, with a handrailed considerate space.Strollers and carry carts are lent at the general information desk by the entrance gate, 9:00-17:00: a hooded model for 1 month up to 18 kg at 500 yen, a hooded model for 1-2 year olds at 300, an unhooded one for 1-2 year olds at 200, an infant model for 1-3 month olds at 300, and a carry cart at 100. The lent strollers are not intended for babies who cannot yet hold their head up or sit, so bring your own during that stage. There are six diaper changing and nursing spaces: the ride corner in the amusement area, the cafeteria, the India Forest Zone, the Animal Learning Hall, the Australia Zone and the Hakuchoike Rest House. The cafeteria offers hot water, a baby bed and a hand basin; the India Forest Zone, Animal Learning Hall, Australia Zone and Hakuchoike Rest House have water heaters. The cafeteria nursing room is open until 15:30 on weekdays and 16:30 at weekends and holidays. Eleven further diaper changing spaces exist besides these six. Disposable diapers are sold at every shop in the park, two size-L diapers for 200 yen. Preschool children enter free, the child alone.
- Ages 2-3At the touching corner children handle rabbits and guinea pigs, and at the petting corner goats and sheep; both run at set times. Inside the park is an amusement area with a Ferris wheel, go-karts, a merry-go-round and a flight tower, where a ride costs 50 to 100 yen. Children walk straight from the animals to the rides.Ride tickets are sold until 16:40, and a book of eleven 100-yen tickets costs 1,000 yen. Nine restrooms have a toddler urinal, among them the women's room beside the entrance gate, the one at the ride corner in the amusement area, the Animal Learning Hall restroom and the children's toilet inside the women's room in the South America Nature Zone. Packed lunches can be eaten on the lawn at the Rest Plaza or at four roofed rest shelters: in front of the Africa Zone, at the amusement area, at the Rest Plaza and in the India Forest Zone. From 15:45 some animals go back to their houses and cannot be seen, and the hippo pool is cleaned on Tuesdays and Fridays, so the hippos are off display those afternoons. Last admission is 16:30, so putting the animal contact early in the day is the sure way. Reckon on about two hours to go round.
- Ages 4-6The park is laid out in zones - Africa, India Forest, Australia Nature, South America Nature, Bears of the World, Fureai Land and the Animal Learning Hall - so a child this age can walk them in order and meet some 130 species, 900 animals. The Green Terrace beside the cafeteria looks out over the Africa Zone and Sakurajima, a view you get nowhere else, and you can eat while looking at it. In the amusement area the Ferris wheel and go-karts cost 50 to 100 yen a ride.Admission is free for preschool children themselves; elementary and junior-high students pay 150 yen if they live in the city and 200 yen if not. An annual passport is 300 yen in-city and 400 out-of-city for those students, and 1,500 / 2,000 yen for adults from high school up. A combined ticket with Kagoshima City Aquarium costs 1,800 in-city and 2,400 out-of-city for adults and is valid for six months from purchase, but it is the one ticket that cannot be paid for cashlessly. When the walking gets long you can pick up the free park bus partway round: a loop route mainly on weekdays and an outer route mainly at weekends, roughly every 15 minutes, though it may be halted when crowded or in bad weather. The park is open 9:00-17:00, last admission 16:30, closed 29 December to 1 January.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayAn outdoor zoo park. Your shelter from the rain is the four roofed rest areas (in front of the Africa Zone, at the amusement park, at the rest lawn, and in the India Forest Zone) plus the Rest House by Hakucho Pond, which is roofed and usable on rainy days. Umbrellas 60 cm long rent for 100 yen a time.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed2–3 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：with conditionsconditions
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Indoor / outdoor
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A 4- and 2-year-old: animals first, fairground after — about 3 hours. Koalas mostly asleep; a rest at the foot bath.
Meeting the koalas at Hirakawa Zoo — a family trip diary (Kagoshima)
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A vet's own round. The koala house has no glass, so you smell the eucalyptus; you may catch a keeper feeding them paste.
Hirakawa Zoo reviewed by a vet (2026): koalas at zero distance, and what else to see
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Lunch with a 2-year-old: Satsuma fish and chips, Y550 — sweet potato and kibinago, salted light enough for a toddler.
Weekend outing: lunch at the restaurant inside Hirakawa Zoo
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Summer as it actually looks: misting fans dotted round the park, giraffes hiding in shade, deer standing in the water.
Hirakawa Zoo in summer: a walk round the park, with heat measures
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
An annual-pass regular: parking Y200, rides Y50 indoors and Y100 outdoors. The signed route says 2 hours; he takes 3.
Hirakawa Zoo & fairground: parking, fees and discounts
More to look at
Hirakawa Zoological Park · Links & reads ▾
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Where it is
5669-1 Hirakawacho, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima 891-0133source
Before you go
- Ten manual wheelchairs are lent free, first come first served, and they cannot be reserved. They have a brake for whoever is pushing.source
- A free shuttle bus runs inside the park, so you can ride instead of walking. When the park is busy or the weather is bad, the pickup points and the route can change, and it may not run at all.source
- Pets such as dogs and cats cannot come into the park, with guide dogs and service dogs the exception.source
- Smoking is allowed only at three marked spots with ashtrays: beside the entrance gate, at the amusement park, and next to the squirrel bridge.source
Basics
- Fee：General admission (high school and up) ¥750 for city residents, ¥1,000 for others. Elementary and junior-high students ¥150 / ¥200. Pre-school children are free. Groups of 20 or more pay ¥600 / ¥800 and ¥120 / ¥160. An annual passport is ¥1,500 / ¥2,000 for adults and ¥300 / ¥400 for children. Parking is ¥400 per visit for a car, ¥800 for a bus, free for motorbikes. Fairground rides are ¥50-100 a go, with a ¥1,000 book of eleven ¥100 tickets; ride tickets stop selling at 16:40source
- Hours：9:00-17:00, last admission 16:30. Closed 29 December to 1 January, and sometimes during typhoons. Some animals go back indoors from 15:45, so a few are out of sight before 16:00, and the hippo pool is cleaned on Tuesdays and Fridays, when the hippos are not shown in the afternoonsource
- Time to allow：2–3 hsource23
- Booking：An annual passport is sold at the gate, and a combined ticket covers one visit here and one to Kagoshima City Aquarium (valid six months). Admission and parking take cash or cashless payment, but the combined ticket is cash onlysourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (24)
Hours and closures
- The park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the last entry is at 4:30 p.m.source
- Visitors are asked to come through the gate by 16:30.source
- Some animals are already off view before 16:00.source
- From 15:45 the animals start heading back to their houses, so some of them can no longer be seen.source
- The hippo pool is cleaned every Tuesday and Friday, so the hippos are off view on those afternoons.source
- The park is closed for the New Year period, December 29 through January 1.source
- It may also close for typhoons and other severe weather.source
Time to allow
- The animals alone take about two hours. With the amusement park rides and rest stops, families with small children usually spend closer to three.source
Other
- The city of Kagoshima owns the zoo; the Kagoshima City Park Public Corporation runs it.source
- Parking costs 800 yen per visit for large vehicles and buses and 400 yen for regular and light cars, while motorcycles park free.source
- The lot inside the park holds 630 ordinary cars.source
- Parking and admission can be paid without cash, by credit card, electronic money, or QR code.source
- The combination ticket with the aquarium cannot be paid for by those cashless methods.source
Fees
- Admission is 1,000 yen for anyone high school age or older (750 yen for Kagoshima city residents). Elementary and junior high students pay 200 yen (150 yen for residents), and children not yet in elementary school are free.source
- Elementary and junior high school students pay 150 yen if they live in the city and 200 yen if they do not.source
- Preschool-age children get in free.source
- For children not yet in elementary school, the free admission covers the child only.source
- Groups of 20 or more pay 600 yen per adult for city residents and 800 yen for non-residents, and 120 yen or 160 yen per elementary or junior high student.source
- An annual pass costs 1,500 yen for adult city residents and 2,000 yen for non-residents, and 300 yen or 400 yen for elementary and junior high students.source
- A combination ticket good for one visit each to this zoo and the Kagoshima City Aquarium costs 1,800 yen for adult city residents and 2,400 yen for non-residents.source
- The combination ticket is valid for six months from the day it is bought.source
- Ride tickets cost 50 to 100 yen each, a book of eleven 100-yen tickets costs 1,000 yen, and ride tickets are sold until 16:40.source
Getting there
- The nearest train station is Goino, on the JR Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line, about a 20-minute walk from the gate. A Kagoshima Kotsu bus bound for the zoo also runs there.source
Contact
- The address is 5669-1 Hirakawacho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima 891-0133, and the phone number is 099-261-2326.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (9)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Nursing space
- Official: Family restroom, Official family-friendly certification
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: Outside food allowed
- Official: main site
About 130 species and 900 animals live here, in zones for Africa, the India forest, Australia, South America and bears. From the terrace beside the restaurant you look across the Africa zone to Sakurajima. Two foot baths run on hot spring water drawn from 1,500m under the park. There is a fairground with a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round, and set times when rabbits and guinea pigs can be handled. Free buses shaped like the animals circle the park and will stow a stroller.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Four types of stroller are lent at the main information desk by the entrance gate, 9:00-17:00, for ¥200-500 a rental (a hooded one for 1 month to 18kg, two for ages 1-2, and one for babies of 1-3 months). A luggage cart is ¥100. They are not meant for babies who cannot yet hold their head up or sit unaided. The free park bus can carry a folded stroller | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes | ¥200-500 per rental depending on type, at the main information desk by the entrance gate, 9:00-17:00 | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (6) | Six diaper-change and nursing spaces: the fairground ride corner, the restaurant, the India Forest zone, the Animal Learning Hall, the Australia zone and the Swan Pond rest house. All but the ride corner have hot water for formula; the Learning Hall and the Australia zone also have a nursing sofa. The restaurant's nursing room is usable until 15:30 on weekdays and 16:30 on weekends and on holidays | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes (17) | Baby beds or changing mats in the six nursing spaces, plus eleven more toilets: the gate-side toilet, Fureai Land, the India Forest zone, and the accessible toilets at the Bears of the World zone, the parking lot, the South America zone, the Animal Learning Hall, Australia, the rest field and the Swan Pond rest house, and the toilet below the restaurant. The India Forest zone has a changing mat in the men's, women's and accessible toilets; the one below the restaurant has them in both men's and women's. Diapers are sold at every shop in the park, ¥200 for a pack of two (size L) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes (12) | Twelve accessible toilets: the parking lot, beside the entrance gate, the fairground ride corner, beside the big-cat house, the Swan Pond rest house, the South America zone, the Australia zone, the India Forest zone, Fureai Land, the Bears of the World zone, the rest field and the Animal Learning Hall. Eight of them have ostomate facilities. The India Forest 'multi-purpose spot' groups a lawn, a rest area, a foot bath, a nursing room and an accessible toilet in one place | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Yes | Nine toilets have a child-height urinal, including the women's toilet by the entrance gate, the fairground ride corner, the Animal Learning Hall and a children's cubicle inside the South America zone women's toilet, plus the parking lot, below-restaurant and Bears of the World women's toilets and the toilet by the big-cat house | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | Bring your own — the grassy rest field is meant for eating a packed lunch, and there are four covered rest areas (in front of the Africa zone, the fairground, the rest field and the India Forest zone) plus the Swan Pond rest house, which is roofed and works in the rain. The restaurant above the Africa zone seats 120 and opens 10:30-15:30 on weekdays, 10:00-16:30 on weekends and on holidays | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Yes | The park restaurant is certified under the 'barrier-free mindset' scheme for tourist facilities | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | A free park bus runs about every 15 minutes on one of two routes and takes 15 people; it can stow a stroller or wheelchair, and two of the buses take a wheelchair aboard as it is. It is transport, not a tour, so you cannot linger at the animals from it. Wheelchairs (10, brake-assisted, not powered) are free at the gate and cannot be reserved. Fourteen priority parking spaces sit near the entrance | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | hirakawazoo.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet |
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