Kobe Oji Zoo

Kobe Oji Zoo
Map
34°42′36″N 135°12′50″E / 34.71°N 135.214°E / 34.71; 135.214
Date opened1951
Location3 Chome-1 Ōjichō, Nada-ku, Kōbe, Hyōgo Pref., Japan (兵庫県神戸市灘区王子町3-1)
MembershipsJAZA[1]
Major exhibitsPandas, polar bears, big cats
Public transit accessRailway: Ōji-kōen, Nada or Iwaya station
Websitewww.kobe-ojizoo.jp

Kōbe Ōji Zoo (神戸市立王子動物園, Kōbe-shiritsu Ōji Dōbutsuen), or simply Kobe Zoo or Ōji Zoo (王子動物園), is a municipal zoo in Kobe, Japan.

Attractions

[edit]
Panda at the zoo
Panda at the zoo sleeping
Panda House (パンダ館)
Giant pandas since 2000.[2]
Zoological Science Center (動物科学資料館)
An indoor educational center featuring skeletal specimens and a reading room.
Big Cats Circle (円形猛獣舎)
tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, and jaguars.
Polar Bear House (ホッキョクグマ舎)
Aboveground and underwater viewing areas
Animals' Land & Children's Zoo (動物とこどもの国)
red pandas, otters, koalas and some farmyard animals.
A small amusement park (遊園地)
Rides and games for children, includes a Ferris wheel and chair swing ride.
The E.H. Hunter House (旧ハンター住宅)
The former residence of the founder of Osaka Iron Works, Edward Hazlett Hunter. An elaborate example of a 19th-century ijinkan (異人館, "foreign home"), it is at the northeast corner the zoo (hence not accessible outside zoo hours). The interior – with roped-off period furniture – is only open a few months each year.[2] It was designated an Important Cultural Property by both the prefecture and the nation.[3]

Animals in other sections include giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, ostriches, flamingos, hippos, some species of apes, crocodiles, bobcats, sea lions, snow owls, and elephants.[2]

Surrounding

[edit]

Technically the zoo is within Ōji Park (王子公園, Ōji Kōen), but the zoo is enclosed and has admission fees. Surrounding the zoo are the various parts of a sports complex. To the zoo's northwest is the Ōji Sports Center (王子スポーツセンター, Ōji Supōtsu Sentā). To the northeast are some tennis courts; to the east is Ōji Stadium; to the southwest is the Museum of Literature.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "加盟園館検索". 日本動物園水族館協会 (in Japanese).
  2. ^ a b c "Zoo pamphlet" (PDF).
  3. ^ "旧ハンター住宅". 王子動物園 (in Japanese). 昭和39年3月9日 県指定重要文化財。 昭和41年6月11日 国指定重要文化財
[edit]