Maruyama Zoo is highly recommended and is only about a 10-minute drive from STAY Moiwayama!

Apr 7
2 min read

If you are staying at STAY Moiwayama, there is one place I can highly recommend: the Maruyama Zoo, which is about a 10-minute drive away.

This popular zoo is easily accessible from the city center, but it can also be visited as a relaxing short day trip from STAY Moiwayama.

This is a place that adults and children alike can enjoy, where you can experience the realistic appearance of over 100 animal species, including impressive tigers, polar bears and elephants, up close on an area of approximately 22.5 hectares.

🐅 So impressive! The tiger is... so close!

One of the attractions of Maruyama Zoo is the proximity to the animals. You can observe impressive animals like Amur tigers from an astonishingly short distance, even though you only see them through glass.

Sometimes slow, sometimes energetic – their dignified and carefree movements are always fascinating to watch (even though they sleep a lot...). I highly recommend experiencing their impressive presence for yourself.

🐻❄️ A polar bear is swimming above us!

In the polar bear enclosure, you can watch the animals swimming and lounging, experiencing their carefree nature up close. While polar bears appear calm, they are surprisingly active. They seem sensitive to the summer heat, but in winter at Maruyama Zoo, their lively movements provide welcome warmth.

🐘 Even adults will be amazed! Elephant feeding

When you think of zoos, elephants inevitably come to mind. Many people are impressed by their size, but also fascinated by their slow, leisurely movements. In the elephant enclosure at Maruyama Zoo, you can watch the animals skillfully use their long trunks to reach for food.

Despite their size, their delicate and intelligent movements while feeding are always fascinating to watch. This popular area delights not only children but also adults.

As mentioned previously, it would take dozens of blog posts to fully convey the charm of Maruyama Zoo, which is home to over 100 different animal species. From the popular red pandas to Japanese macaques, penguins, giraffes, seals, Blakiston fish owls, and snow leopards, to many other animals—there are so many that we simply cannot introduce them all here. We therefore hope that you will visit the zoo yourself and experience its beauty firsthand!

A short stroll takes about an hour and a half, while a more thorough visit can easily fill half a day. Even if you become so engrossed that you don't want to leave, the park offers plenty of quiet areas and restaurants, so you can easily spend a whole day there! And the best part: admission is only 800 yen per adult! (It's free for middle school students and younger!)

Well, I guess I'll just have to take a look at it!