Kobe Oji Zoo
The zoo covers eight hectares and holds an animal science museum and an amusement park.
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Kobe Oji Zoo
SaveThe zoo covers eight hectares and holds an animal science museum and an amusement park.
A petting area holds sheep and goats, and the science museum has shelves of animal books and encyclopedias.
MoreWhat kind of place
Kobe Oji Zoo is the city's own zoo, sitting inside Oji Park and spread over 80,618 square meters, a little under 20 acres.
Besides the animal areas, the grounds hold the animal science museum, an amusement park, a restaurant and shop, and the former Hunter Residence, an old house preserved on site.
The science museum doubles as a reading room, with shelves of animal books, magazines and encyclopedias. Its rest hall is also where families eat when it rains.
Sources and evidence (18)
- Strollers and wheelchairs can come in, but no other vehicles, and neither can large outdoor gear or toys.source
- There are three nursing rooms, and they have hot water for making formula.source
- There are also baby changing beds and kid-size restrooms, marked on the park map (one rest house, Mori no Yakata, is closed).source
- Lost-child stickers are handed out free at the main information desk.source
- If a child goes missing, the zoo makes an announcement over the loudspeakers and asks visitors to help look.source
- There are 12 large coin lockers at 500 yen, 80 cm high by 34.5 cm wide by 57.5 cm deep (about 31 by 14 by 23 inches), and 40 standard ones at 300 yen, the same width and depth but 40 cm high (about 16 inches).source
- All of Oji Park is non-smoking, including the zoo and the parking lot, and there is no smoking area anywhere.source
- Entry in cosplay is not permitted.source
- Parking is charged by the half hour, and for a car it is 150 yen per 30 minutes for the first two hours, 100 yen per 30 minutes from two to four hours, and 50 yen per 30 minutes after that.source
- If you park at the municipal Sannomiya or Hanakuma parking lots and come the rest of the way by public transport, up to three hours of parking is discounted when you show the parking ticket at the management office.source
- The address is 3-1 Oji-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-0838, and the main phone number is 078-861-5624.source
- The site covers 80,618 square meters, a little under 20 acres, and its facilities are counted in two ways, as 30 and as 36.source
- The children's zoo area has a petting yard where you can meet sheep, goats and other animals up close.source
- The animal science museum has a deep collection of books, magazines and encyclopedias about animals.source
- Besides the animal areas, the grounds hold the animal science museum, the amusement park, a restaurant and shop, and the former Hunter Residence, an old house preserved on site.source
- The official website has a page about the zoo's panda room.source
- The official website also has a page about the renovation of the zoo.source
- A supporter program collects donations toward animal housing and the equipment the animals need, and donors receive some benefits.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If you would rather not bring your own stroller on the train, the zoo rents one — 300 yen for a child up to age 2, 500 yen up to age 4 — on a ticket from the machine inside the shop, so you can travel light and still have wheels at the gate.
Most of the grounds take a stroller, though the zoo warns of many slopes and a few steep ones.
Kids can put their hands on sheep and goats in the petting area, though the zoo does not let visitors feed the animals anywhere on the grounds.
You can eat a packed lunch in the open area set aside for it, and when it rains you move into the rest hall of the animal science museum, so a wet day does not send you out looking for somewhere to eat.
The zoo says seeing all the animals takes about two hours, so arriving at the 9 a.m. opening leaves the afternoon for the amusement park on the grounds.
Sources and evidence (5)
- 3-year-old and a baby, 9:30 to 12:30: petting area, science hall lunch, herbivores, rides. Sundays fill from 11. Steep.source
- Two hours by stroller with a 5-month-old: ramps on nearly every path, gentle gradients, three curtained nursing booths.source
- Packed lunches are fine. Benches and tables by the elephants, giraffes, penguins and koalas; food trucks do panda buns.source
- Few roofs: hot in summer, cold in winter. Shelter in the science hall lounge or the ape house. Rides: 3-4 ¥100 tickets.source
- Leave Hankyu Oji-koen by the east gate, past the Lawson, following the zoo signs: 10 minutes at stroller pace, no steps.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The grounds are largely barrier-free, so you can push a stroller through all 80,618 square meters. There are about 150 rental strollers, 300 yen for the ones rated up to age 2, and you can wheel the baby right up to Fureai Hiroba, the children's animal corner with sheep and goats.There are three nursing rooms, all with hot water for formula. Stroller tickets come from the machine inside the shop, and carrier-type strollers may not be brought in. The zoo warns that there are many slopes, some of them steep. One family with a three-year-old and a baby arrived at 9:30 and was done in about three hours, early lunch in the animal science museum and the rides included.
- Ages 2-3At Fureai Hiroba, the children's animal corner, kids can touch sheep and goats. The zoo also has an amusement park inside it, with rides at 300 to 400 yen each.Visitors cannot feed the animals anywhere in the zoo, so touching happens at Fureai Hiroba. Rental strollers rated up to age 4 are 500 yen. There is a lawn for eating packed lunches, and on rainy days you can eat in the animal science museum's rest hall or under the roof of the open-style ape house.
- Ages 4-6The zoo says seeing every animal takes about two hours, a loop a child this age can walk. The animal science museum is stocked with animal books, magazines and encyclopedias, so they can go look up the animal they just saw.The information center hands out lost-child stickers for free, and if a child does get lost the zoo pages over the loudspeakers. Weekends and holidays are very crowded, and the parking lot is expected to fill between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekends and holidays from spring break in March to the end of May and from mid-September to the end of November, so the train is the sure bet: three minutes west of Hankyu Oji-koen Station. The zoo is open 9:00 to 17:00, and to 16:30 in winter from November to February.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe animal areas and the small amusement park are outdoors, and the zoo warns that the grounds, while largely barrier-free, have many slopes and some steep ones. When it rains, the places to eat a packed lunch are the rest hall of the Animal Science Museum and the roofed plaza at the free-range ape house.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed3 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：yes
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
* Other not checked (1)
Diaper disposal bin
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
3-year-old and a baby, 9:30 to 12:30: petting area, science hall lunch, herbivores, rides. Sundays fill from 11. Steep.
Oji Zoo with kids: nursing rooms, the slopes, the rides and how long it takes
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Two hours by stroller with a 5-month-old: ramps on nearly every path, gentle gradients, three curtained nursing booths.
Oji Zoo by stroller with a baby: the nursing room and diaper-change spots
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Packed lunches are fine. Benches and tables by the elephants, giraffes, penguins and koalas; food trucks do panda buns.
Can you bring a packed lunch to Oji Zoo? Where to sit and eat with children
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Few roofs: hot in summer, cold in winter. Shelter in the science hall lounge or the ape house. Rides: 3-4 ¥100 tickets.
Kobe Oji Zoo with kids without regrets: the slopes, the rides and where to rest
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Leave Hankyu Oji-koen by the east gate, past the Lawson, following the zoo signs: 10 minutes at stroller pace, no steps.
No wrong turns: walking from Hankyu Oji-koen station to Oji Zoo
Kobe Oji Zoo · Links & reads ▾
Where to go next
Where it is
3-1 Ojicho, Nada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 657-0838source
Before you go
- Wheelchairs are lent free of charge, though the number is limited and they cannot be reserved.source
- Pets cannot come in, and anyone bringing a service dog should contact the zoo beforehand.source
- The zoo sits inside Oji Park, and the park's lot holds 250 cars, rising to 450 when the 200-space overflow lot opens on busy days.source
- The zoo says the parking lot is expected to fill up between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays, from the March spring break through the end of May and from mid-September through the end of November.source
- Weekends and public holidays get very crowded, so the zoo asks people to come by public transport.source
Basics
- Fee：Admission price: see the official site. Free with a physical disability, therapy or mental health certificate shown at the gate, plus one carer for holders of a grade 1-2 physical, a therapy, or a grade 1 mental health certificate. Kobe residents aged 65 and over are free on showing an original document with address, name and date of birth. An annual passport is ¥3,000 at the gate. Amusement rides are ¥300-400 each. Original documents only — copies and photos are not accepted, though the Mirairo ID app counts as a certificatesource
- Hours：9:00-17:00, and 9:00-16:30 in winter (November to February). There are closed days — which days is not stated on the pages read — and the parking lot closes on those days toosource
- Time to allow：3 hsource
- Booking：No advance booking is needed, groups included. Wheelchairs cannot be reserved. Schools, kindergartens, nurseries and welfare facilities visiting for educational purposes can apply to have their accompanying teachers and staff admitted free — parents on a parent-and-child excursion still paysourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (14)
- Showing a physical, intellectual or mental health disability certificate at the entrance gate desk gets you in free.source
- One companion also enters free with a holder of a physical disability certificate at grade 1 or 2, an intellectual disability certificate, or a mental health certificate at grade 1.source
- Kobe residents aged 65 and over enter free by showing an original document that confirms their address, name and date of birth.source
- A pass valid for one year costs 3,000 yen and is sold at the entrance gate desk.source
- Rides in the amusement park cost between 300 and 400 yen.source
- Certificates, licenses and other documents must be the originals, as copies and photos are not accepted, though the Mirairo ID smartphone app counts as a certificate.source
- The rates for high school students and for people aged 65 and over who live or study in Kobe changed on September 1, 2024.source
- When a school, kindergarten, nursery or welfare facility visits for educational purposes, the teachers and staff leading the group enter free on application, while parents on a parent-and-child outing pay.source
- From Oji-koen Station on the Hankyu line, it is a three-minute walk west.source
- It is also a five-minute walk north from JR Nada Station, or a ten-minute walk north from Iwaya Station on the Hanshin line.source
- Kobe City Bus route 92 stops right at the gate (Oji Dobutsuen-mae). From Shin-Kobe, the bullet train station, it is ten minutes by taxi, or route 92 from the Nunobiki stop.source
- The zoo's own answer is that seeing all the animals takes about two hours.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (10)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Nursing space
- Official: Crowding (guide), Stroller access notes
- Official: main site
Besides the animal enclosures, the grounds hold an animal science museum, a small amusement park and the former Hunter House. Sheep and goats live in the children's petting area. The museum shelves carry animal books, magazines and encyclopedias. The rides are in the same grounds, so the day can end at the amusement park.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | About 150 strollers to rent — ¥300 (up to age 2) or ¥500 (up to age 4), tickets from the vending machine inside the shop. The grounds are broadly barrier-free but have many slopes, some of them steep. Carry-type strollers may not be brought in, and nor may any wheeled thing other than a stroller or wheelchair | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp | |
| Nursing space | Yes (3) | Three nursing rooms, all with hot water for formula. Locations are on the park map (the Mori-no-Yakata rest house has closed) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Baby beds are provided; the locations are marked on the park map | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Yes | There are children's toilets; the locations are marked on the park map | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Yes | There is a lawn area for eating your own lunch, marked on the park map. When it rains, use the rest hall of the Animal Science Museum or the roofed area by the great ape house (groups: the ape house only). Please don't reserve space by laying out sheets | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | Mainly an outdoor zoo, with indoor places to shelter: the Animal Science Museum rest hall and the roofed area by the great ape house are named as the wet-weather spots to eat | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Yes | Free lost-child stickers at the information center. If a child does go missing, the zoo announces it over the park PA and asks visitors to help look | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | 土日祝が混雑 | Weekends and public holidays are very busy and the zoo asks you to come by public transport. The parking lot is expected to fill between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekends and holidays from the March spring break to the end of May, and from mid-September to the end of November | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | 阪急王子公園駅から徒歩3分 | 3 minutes' walk west from Hankyu Oji-koen, 5 minutes north from JR Nada, 10 minutes north from Hanshin Iwaya, or right by the Oji Dobutsuen-mae stop on Kobe City Bus route 92. The Oji Park parking lot holds 250 cars, 450 with the overflow lot, charged by the half hour (¥150 per 30 min for the first 2 hours). Park at the municipal Sannomiya or Hanakuma parking lots and come by public transport and you get 3 hours discounted — show the ticket at the management office | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kobe-ojizoo.jp |