Ikeda Zoo
A zoo built into an Okayama hillside, with a steam locomotive parked among the animals.
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Ikeda Zoo
SaveA zoo built into an Okayama hillside, with a steam locomotive parked among the animals.
A petting area opens every day, where small children can touch chicks and guinea pigs.
MoreWhat kind of place
Ikeda Zoo covers a wooded hillside in Okayama City, with parking for about 220 cars. Two of the sights here are not animals at all.
One is a steam locomotive from the Ikasa Railway, which once ran through the streets of Okayama, and anyone can climb into the driver's seat.
The other is a farmhouse moved here from a place in northern Okayama that went under water when the Kawamoto Dam was built; it now holds farm tools, tea utensils, and furniture.
The zoo also shares its grounds with the Okayama Prefecture Wildlife Protection Center, which it runs with the prefecture to take in injured wild animals.
Sources and evidence (16)
- The facilities page lists a baby room, with no detail on what is inside it.source
- You may bring your own lunch and eat it on the benches or in the covered rest areas, though the zoo asks you not to bring it into the restaurant.source
- Six coin lockers stand in front of the shop, each 550mm high, 340mm wide, and 570mm deep, for 100 yen, and larger bags can be left at the entrance for 300 yen per bag.source
- Have your ticket stamped for re-entry at the entrance and you can come back in on the same day.source
- Pets cannot come in and are not looked after at the gate; guide dogs and service dogs may enter, but the zoo asks that they not go into the petting area.source
- The parking lot holds about 220 vehicles at 500 yen for a car and 1,000 yen for a bus, and it can fill up on weekends and holidays.source
- If you drive out of the parking lot and come back later, the 500 yen parking fee is charged again.source
- A large tent with seating stands across from the shop and the kitchen, and you can eat there.source
- Three rest areas are listed: the big tent, the one in front of the penguins, and the one in front of the red pandas.source
- The Ashiato Shop sells the zoo's own goods, with the white tiger items the most popular, and tickets for the feeding experiences are sold there too.source
- A folk museum on the grounds is a farmhouse moved here from a place in northern Okayama that was submerged when the Kawamoto Dam was built, and it displays farm tools, tea utensils, and furniture.source
- Close to the Giraffes is held every Saturday from August through March, from a deck level with the eyes of Santaro, the reticulated giraffe.source
- Red panda feeding time is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and the spotted hyena and white tiger feeding times are on Saturdays and Sundays.source
- The red panda hand-feeding experience is suspended for now; it stopped on August 2, 2026.source
- The zoo runs the Okayama Prefecture Wildlife Protection Center on its grounds together with the prefecture, taking in injured wild animals.source
- A summer evening event called the Night Zoo of Lights is held in August, on August 1, 8, 13 to 15, 22, and 29 in 2026.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If your kids are done looking at animals from behind a fence, the petting area here opens every day, and they can put their hands on chicks and guinea pigs.
The zoo is laid out on a hillside, so the paths climb and dip the whole way, though the zoo says you can still get around all of it.
Five strollers rent at the entrance for 200 yen, paid as a 1,000 yen deposit with 800 yen back when you return one.
You can bring your own lunch and eat it in the big covered seating area across from the shop, so you can feed the kids when they get hungry rather than wait for the kitchen to open.
If you step out and mean to come back the same day, get the re-entry stamp on your ticket at the entrance; the stamp lets you back in, but driving your car out of the lot means paying the 500 yen parking fee a second time.
Sources and evidence (4)
- At Gochiso Kitchen the popular dish with children is the mild white tiger curry, and there is also Ikeda ramen and Ikeda soft serve ice cream.source
- Two-year-olds walked the slopes themselves, fed the deer, met Santaro the giraffe, and ended at the crocodile.source
- With a 9-year-old in December. Flat at the gate, steep after; slopes alone reach the top, where the zebras are.source
- Big windows look straight at the giraffe. Ikeda ramen 800 yen, white tiger curry 750, weekdays 11:30-14:30.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The Nakayoshi Petting Plaza opens every day with small animals, chicks and guinea pigs among them, that a baby can take in up close from your arms. A steam locomotive from the Ikasa Railway, which once ran through the streets of Okayama, is on display, and you may climb into the driver's seat freely.Five strollers are lent at the entrance for 200 yen; you leave 1,000 yen and get 800 back on return. The facility page lists a Baby Room, though it does not say what is in it. The zoo uses the hill as it is, so there are many slopes, and there are three rest areas: the big tent, in front of the penguins, and in front of the red pandas. The restroom beside the penguin house and the accessible multipurpose restroom were renovated in July 2022.
- Ages 2-3The Watching Cycle, a two-seater, takes riders from age 2 and lets you look down on the animals from the air, 500 yen a person. At the Nakayoshi Petting Plaza, open every day, children can touch small animals such as chicks and guinea pigs.The Watching Cycle runs on weekends and holidays, 9:30-16:00, or to 16:30 from April to October. Nothing but the feed sold inside the zoo may be given to the animals: not vegetables, meat or snacks you brought, and not fallen leaves or grass either. The feed vending machines take cash only, and admission is 400 yen for a child aged 3 or over.
- Ages 4-6On Saturdays from August through March, Close to the Giraffe lets children watch Santaro the reticulated giraffe from a deck at his own eye level. In the summer holidays there is a quiz rally around the zoo, solving animal quizzes for stickers, open to elementary school age and under; in 2026 it runs 18 July to 30 August. Feeding time is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for the red pandas, and Saturday and Sunday for the spotted hyena and the white tiger.Hand-feeding the red pandas has been suspended since 2 August 2026 for the time being, though you can still watch their feeding time. Tickets for the feeding experiences are sold at the Ashiato Shop, and the feed vending machines take cash only. Children's bicycles and skateboards may be brought in, but the zoo asks you not to ride them on the slopes and will hold them for you at the entrance. Admission is 400 yen for a child aged 3 or over and 800 yen for elementary and junior high pupils.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe grounds keep the natural slope of the mountain, so there are many inclines and you cover them on foot. What is under a roof is the three rest areas — the big tent, the one in front of the penguins, and the one in front of the red pandas — plus the Gochiso Kitchen eatery.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed2 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：with conditionsconditions
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
* 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
Two-year-olds walked the slopes themselves, fed the deer, met Santaro the giraffe, and ended at the crocodile.
A field trip to Ikeda Zoo, with two-year-olds
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
With a 9-year-old in December. Flat at the gate, steep after; slopes alone reach the top, where the zebras are.
Ikeda Zoo is full of slopes — can you manage it with a stroller or a small child?
Japanese · opens translatedOfficial
Big windows look straight at the giraffe. Ikeda ramen 800 yen, white tiger curry 750, weekdays 11:30-14:30.
Giraffes in the window: Ikeda Zoo's restaurant and shop reopen after a refit
Ikeda Zoo · Links & reads ▾
Where it is
2-5-1 Kyoyama, Kita-ku, Okayama-shi, Okayama 700-0015source
Before you go
- The 750 yen rate for visitors aged 70 and over requires proof of age and cannot be combined with any other discount.source
- Advance tickets at 10% off can be bought from the ticket machines at Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, and Ministop stores anywhere in Japan.source
- You can bring children's bikes and skateboards in, and the entrance will hold them for you, but the zoo asks that they not be ridden on the slopes.source
- Give the animals only the food sold inside the zoo — nothing brought from outside, including vegetables, meat, and snacks, and no fallen leaves or grass.source
Basics
- Fee：Adult (high school and up) ¥1,500 · elementary & junior high ¥800 · children 3 and over ¥400 · age 70 and over ¥750 (ID required, not combinable with other discounts). Partner cards including the Momokko child-raising support card give 10% off — show it before paying. Cards, e-money, transit IC and QR payments accepted; the feed vending machines in the zoo take cash onlysource
- Hours：9:30-17:00 from April to October, 9:30-16:30 from November to March; last entry one hour before closing. Closed Wednesdays in June-September and December-February (open if that Wednesday is a holiday, closed the next day). Obon and New Year opening is announced each timesource
- Time to allow：2 h
- Booking：No reservation is mentioned for general entry. Advance tickets at 10% off are sold at ticket machines in 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson and Ministop stores nationwidesourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (13)
- The zoo is open 9:30 to 17:00 from April through October and 9:30 to 16:30 from November through March, and the ticket window closes an hour before the zoo does.source
- It is closed on Wednesdays from June through September and from December through February; if that Wednesday is a public holiday, the zoo opens and closes the following day instead.source
- Opening days over the Obon holidays and the New Year period are announced each time, and unscheduled closures are possible.source
- The place to eat inside the zoo is Gochiso Kitchen, open 11:30 to 14:30 on weekdays and 11:00 to 15:30 on weekends and holidays.source
- Admission, tax included, is 1,500 yen for adults (high school age and up), 800 yen for elementary and junior high students, 400 yen for preschool children aged 3 and over, and 750 yen for visitors aged 70 and over.source
- Credit cards, electronic money, transit IC cards, and QR code payments are accepted, but the animal feed machines inside the zoo take cash only.source
- Showing a partner card such as the Momokko Card, Okayama's child-raising support pass, takes 10% off admission, and it has to be shown before you pay.source
- For the nationwide child-raising support passport, called the Momokko Card in Okayama, say so at the entrance before you buy your tickets.source
- Groups of 25 or more get 10% off, at 1,350 yen for adults, 720 yen for elementary and junior high students, and 360 yen for young children, and schools get 10% off whatever their size.source
- The zoo uses the hillside as it is, so there are a lot of slopes, but you can still get around the whole zoo.source
- The address is 2-5-1 Kyoyama, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, and the phone number is 086-252-2131, answered from 9:00 to 17:00.source
- The nearest station is JR Okayama Station: from the bus terminal at the west exit, take the Okaden bus bound for Chuo Byoin, get off at Kyoyama-iriguchi for 200 yen, and walk about 12 minutes.source
- A taxi from the rank at the west exit of JR Okayama Station takes about 8 minutes and costs around 1,800 yen.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (8)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Outside food allowed, Steps & slope caution
- Official: Nursing space, Family restroom, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
- Official: Kids' price & free conditions
- Official: main site
The zoo is built into a hillside near central Okayama, so the paths climb, but the whole place can be walked. A petting area opens every day, where small children can touch chicks and guinea pigs. Red pandas, hyenas and white tigers are fed in front of visitors on set days. A steam locomotive that once ran through the city sits in the grounds, its driver's seat open to climb into. A farmhouse moved from a valley flooded by a dam stands nearby as a folk museum.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Rental strollers at the entrance, 5 of them, ¥200 (you pay ¥1,000 and get ¥800 back on return). The zoo uses the hillside as it is, so there are many slopes; the paths to the meerkat and prairie dog houses are not ramped | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing space | Yes (1) | The facilities page lists a baby room. What is inside it is not stated | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes | The accessible (multi-purpose) toilet beside the penguin house was rebuilt in July 2022 | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Yes | The toilets beside the penguin house include a children's toilet, put in so small children can use it safely | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | You may bring a packed lunch and eat it on the benches or at the covered rest areas. Bringing it into the zoo's own restaurant is not allowed | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
| Steps & slope caution | Many steps | The zoo uses the natural hillside, so there are many slopes. The paths to the meerkat and prairie dog houses are not ramped and cannot be reached by wheelchair | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
| Kids' price & free conditions | Yes | Elementary and junior high school ¥800, children aged 3 and over ¥400 (adult ¥1,500). Under 3 is not listed | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller rental | Yes (5) | 5 strollers at the entrance, ¥200 (¥1,000 deposit, ¥800 returned) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikedazoo.jp |