Shibukawa Zoo
SaveA zoo inside a national park, with four kilometers of dirt paths and no dangerous animals.
Children ride a led horse and walk one of the zoo's dogs along the dirt trails.
MoreWhat kind of place
Shibukawa Zoo sits on about 24 acres of hillside inside Seto Inland Sea National Park, and its walking paths run roughly four kilometers, dirt the whole way.
It keeps about 600 animals from some 80 species, none of them dangerous predators.
The zoo reached its 35th year in 2023, and the director built parts of it himself, including the hill where the Japanese macaques live and a balance beam about 160 meters (525 ft) long.
No music is piped in anywhere, so what you hear is wind in the trees, wild birds, and the animals themselves.
Sources and evidence (22)
- There is no restaurant or other food service on the grounds.source
- You may bring your own food in, and your ticket is good for the whole day, so you can go out for a meal and come back.source
- You can eat a packed lunch inside the indoor rest area. Don't share it with the animals. In winter a potbelly stove is lit.source
- The zoo suggests the Kachikachi-yama lookout, which faces the Seto Inland Sea, as a place to eat your lunch.source
- For school trips and larger groups, the zoo points to the hill called Yushun no Oka as the lunch spot.source
- Parking is free, with room for about 100 cars.source
- The zoo keeps about 600 animals from around 80 species, and none of them are dangerous predators.source
- The zoo marked its 35th anniversary in 2023.source
- No background music plays anywhere in the park, so what you hear is wind moving the trees, wild birds, and the animals' own voices.source
- Nyanko House, the cat house finished in the summer of 2023, is open 10:00 to 16:00, though the hours can change depending on how the cats are getting along and how they feel.source
- Wanko Run is where the older dogs take it easy and the other dogs get to run, and its opening hours are irregular.source
- To ease the strain on the horses, the led rides are limited for the time being to the three-lap ring course, the Yushun no Oka course, and the course to the front desk.source
- Trail rides and lessons where you hold the reins yourself are on hold right now so the horses can rest.source
- With each dog you walk, you are handed that dog's handler card, with the walking rules printed on the back.source
- Whether the tortoises come out of their room or stay in is left up to the tortoises.source
- The monkey hill where the Japanese macaques live was built by the zoo's director on his own.source
- No pesticides are used on the grounds, and the fruit trees are grown organically without them.source
- In spring, ten thousand wild koba-no-mitsuba azaleas, the official flower of Tamano City, bloom on the mountain slope.source
- In spring, visitors can pick bracken shoots for free.source
- The seasonal harvest is bracken, angelica-tree shoots, cherries, and tea in spring; plums, loquats, bayberries, and blueberries in summer; chestnuts, quince, and akebi in fall; and feijoa, kiwi, and persimmon in winter.source
- The Reeves' turtles near the start of the route can be handled, though the hands-on time stops in the cold of winter.source
- The horses used for rides are Welsh ponies, Shetland ponies, Hokkaido ponies and the like, standing 105 to 130 cm at the shoulder.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If your child would rather sit on a horse than look at one, a staff member here leads the horse while your child sits up in the saddle — three laps of the small ring for 500 yen.
Every path is dirt and runs up a hillside, so a stroller bogs down on many stretches.
There is no restaurant, so families bring a packed lunch and eat it in the indoor rest area; your ticket is good all day, so you can also go out for a meal and come back in.
One family with a 3- and 7-year-old walked the loop and took a break in about an hour and a half, without the horse ride or the dog and cat houses, so leave more than that if you want those too.
Tickets are sold at the front desk in cash only, and there is no advance sale or online booking, so come with cash.
Sources and evidence (4)
- The horse rides are open to children and adults alike, and the courses start at 500 yen.source
- A local TV reporter walks a dog: 13 feeding points at 100 yen, 21 dogs to choose from, the sea from Yushun Hill.source
- Dirt and slopes: a stroller is near impossible, bring a carrier. Walk a dog in the morning; they rest later. Cash only.source
- With daughters aged 3 and 7. No restaurant; packed lunches are eaten in the rest house. Free parking. About 90 minutes.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1No background music plays anywhere in the park. What you hear is the wind moving the trees, wild birds singing, and the animals' own voices. There are about 600 animals of some 80 kinds and no big predators, so you can walk the grounds inside Setonaikai National Park quietly with a baby in your arms.You can bring a stroller in, but every path is dirt and there are many places where it does not roll well. There is no restaurant or food stand and you may bring your own food; a packed lunch can be eaten inside the rest house, which has a pot-bellied stove in winter. Tickets are bought at the reception in cash, with no online or advance sale, and they are valid for the day, so you can go out for a meal and come back in. Parking is free, about 100 spaces.
- Ages 2-3Near the start of the walk there are Reeves' turtles you can touch. At the Animal Nursery children feed and stroke the rabbits, open 9:00 to 15:30. A dish of snacks for the Japanese macaques is 100 yen, the most popular of the feeding points. The led-horse rides are open to children, and three laps of the small ring costs 500 yen.Admission for a child aged 2 or over is 600 yen, paid in cash at the reception. The walking trail is about 4 km and every path is dirt. A family with a 3- and a 7-year-old (August 2024) walked the loop and rested in about an hour and a half, without the horse ride or the dog and cat houses. Turtle petting is not held on cold winter days, and Abu, the Aldabra giant tortoise of about 65 kg, may also be unavailable when the outside temperature is low.
- Ages 4-6The Otani suspension bridge, built single-handed by the zoo's director, lets you see straight down through it. There is also a Long Long Balance Beam about 160 meters end to end. On the dog walk you are handed a Dog Handler card for each dog, with the walking rules written on the back. In autumn, gathering 50 acorns or more gets you a 100-yen feed ticket in exchange.The dog walk is 1,700 yen per dog from 9:00 to 17:00, and 1,200 yen from 14:00. The rules are four: do not go near other dogs, an adult holds the lead short when passing another dog, never let the lead out of your hand, and give the dog no food. To spare the horses, the led rides are for now only three, three laps of the small ring at 500 yen, the Yushun Hill course of about 15 minutes at 1,500 yen, and the course back to reception, also about 15 minutes, at 2,500 yen; riding with the reins in your own hands, and lessons, are suspended while the horses rest. Anyone under 18 must come with a guardian.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe park sits inside Setonaikai National Park, with about 4 km of walking paths that are all dirt. Strollers are allowed in, but there are many stretches that are hard to push, and the place under a roof is the rest house, where you may eat a packed lunch you brought (a pot-bellied stove in winter).
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed1.5 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
* Other not checked (3)
Indoor / outdoor, Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
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 local TV reporter walks a dog: 13 feeding points at 100 yen, 21 dogs to choose from, the sea from Yushun Hill.
Animals loose in the grounds? Getting far too close at Shibukawa Zoo
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Dirt and slopes: a stroller is near impossible, bring a carrier. Walk a dog in the morning; they rest later. Cash only.
Any discounts at Shibukawa Zoo? A report on the petting zoo where you can walk a dog
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
With daughters aged 3 and 7. No restaurant; packed lunches are eaten in the rest house. Free parking. About 90 minutes.
Not your usual zoo: play and make friends with the animals at Shibukawa
Shibukawa Zoo · Links & reads ▾
Where it is
3-1077-1 Shibukawa, Tamano-shi, Okayama 706-0028source
Before you go
- Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.source
- Tickets are bought with cash at the front desk; there is no online reservation and no advance ticket sale.source
- You cannot bring your own dog or other small pet into the zoo.source
- You can walk one of the zoo's own dogs. The rules: don't let the dog approach other dogs, have an adult hold the leash short when you pass other people, never let go of the leash, and don't give the dog food.source
- You can touch Abu, an Aldabra giant tortoise of about 143 lb (65 kg) — though cold days may rule it out.source
Basics
- Fee：Adult ¥1,500 · elementary & junior high ¥1,000 · child aged 2 and over ¥600. Annual passes ¥7,000 / ¥4,800 / ¥3,000. Groups of 30 or more get ¥100 off each. No discount for a disability certificate. Horse rides from ¥500, a dog walk ¥1,700 (¥1,200 from 14:00), a plate of monkey food ¥100source
- Hours：9:00-17:00, last entry 16:30. Open every day of the yearsource
- Time to allow：1.5 hsource
- Booking：No advance booking. Tickets are bought in cash at the reception desk — the zoo says it does no online reservation and no advance ticket salessourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (15)
- Admission is 1,500 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for elementary and junior high students (ages 6 to 15), and 600 yen for children ages 2 to 5.source
- An annual pass costs 7,000 yen for adults, 4,800 yen for elementary and junior high students, and 3,000 yen for children age 2 and up.source
- Groups of 30 or more get 100 yen off each ticket.source
- There is no discount for showing a disability certificate.source
- For the led horse rides, three laps of the small ring cost 500 yen, the Yushun no Oka course takes about 15 minutes for 1,500 yen, and the course back to the front desk takes about 15 minutes for 2,500 yen.source
- Walking a dog costs 1,700 yen per dog from 9:00 to 17:00, or 1,200 yen from 14:00 to 17:00.source
- A dish of snacks for the Japanese macaques costs 100 yen, and it is one of the more popular feeding spots in the park.source
- You can bring a stroller in, but every path is dirt and many stretches are hard to push through.source
- The address is 3-1077-1 Shibukawa, Tamano City, Okayama, and the phone number is 0863-81-3030.source
- It sits directly across the road from the toy theme park Omocha Oukoku (Toy Kingdom).source
- By car it is about 8 km from the Kojima interchange on the Seto-Chuo Expressway by way of Route 430, and it is about 25 minutes by taxi from JR Kojima Station on the Seto Ohashi line.source
- From JR Okayama Station, a bus bound for Shibukawa takes about 50 minutes, and from the Shibukawa stop it is about 5 minutes by taxi.source
- The grounds cover 30,000 tsubo, about 24 acres, inside Seto Inland Sea National Park, and the walking paths run about 4 kilometers and are dirt the whole way.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (5)
The zoo sits inside Setonaikai National Park, with four kilometers of dirt trails. Around eighty species live here and none of them are dangerous animals. No music plays; you hear wind in the trees and birds. Children ride a led horse and walk one of the zoo's dogs. A sixty-five-kilo Aldabra tortoise comes out when it feels like it. The director built the suspension bridge and a 160-meter balance beam himself. From the lookout you see the Inland Sea, and in spring ten thousand wild azaleas cover the slopes.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers may come in, but every path in the park is bare earth and there are many places where a stroller is hard to push | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | shibukawazoo.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steps & slope caution | Many steps | The park covers about 30,000 tsubo (roughly 10 hectares) inside Setonaikai National Park, with about 4 km of walking paths, all of them bare earth | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | shibukawazoo.com |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | There is no restaurant in the park. You may bring your own food, and the ticket is valid all day, so you can go out to eat and come back in | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | shibukawazoo.com |
| Companion rules | Yes | Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a guardian | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | shibukawazoo.com |
| Kids' price & free conditions | Yes | Elementary and junior high school ¥1,000, child aged 2 and over ¥600 (adult ¥1,500). Under 2 is not listed | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | shibukawazoo.com |
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller rental | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet |