Kyoto City Zoo
- Highlight
- Nestled among art museum, shrines temples and Lake Biwa Canal, the zoo also offers the colorful blooms and leaves of spring and autumn
Animal-visitor interaction is the keyword here
Opened in 1903, the Kyoto City Zoo was at the time only the second in the country but the first in terms of being a zoo established by contributions from the public. Furthermore, the zoo does not stop at just exhibiting, but, in a partnership agreement with Kyoto University, it has worked to enhance and offer the various appealing attributes of animals while also investigating their intelligence.
Completing a 7-year renewal process in 2015, facilities now include those that allow for closer interaction with the animals, with a diverse range of animals split up among six zones: the “Children’s Zoo” where kids can pet or touch certain animals like guinea pigs, etc., “The Beast Room” for exhibiting tigers, jaguars,Tsushima leopard cat and the Eurasian Lynx. “African Savannah” that is home to giraffes and zebras, etc., the “Elephant Forest” exhibiting a herd of Asian elephants, “Monkey World” that is home to apes, such as Western gorillas and chimpanzees, “Kyoto Forest” where animals indigenous to Kyoto are kept and visitors can experience nature.
Moreover, in a move to raise interest in and awareness of animals, the zoo stages various events where visitors can join the staff in feeding animals, take a tour of the animal sleeping quarters in what is known as “Home Check”, or listen to episodes from the work of zoo keepers and vets.



What is the water source for the fountain pond that has existed unchanged in the zoo from the very opening day? ① Tap water ② Well water ③ Biwako sosui River water
Address | Okazaki Hoshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku |
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TEL | 075-771-0210 |
FAX | 075-752-1974 |
URL | http://www5.city.kyoto.jp/zoo |
Hours | 9:00~17:00 (entry by 16:30), 16:30 (entry by 16:00) from Dec to Feb |
Closed | Mon (following day if Nat Hol), 28/12~1/1 |
Adm | High school students upward ¥600 |
Access | A 7-min walk from Exit 1 of the Subway Tozai Line Keage Stn/Very close to Okazakikoen Dobutsuen-mae Stop of City Bus |
Facilities near by

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KONDO Museum
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Toy Film Museum
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Kyoto National Museum
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