Inokashira Park Zoo

Constantly on the search for green in this massive city, I am always keen for going to a new-to-me park.  Inokashira Park is a picturesque green space.  There are trees, ponds, and several bridges dotted throughout the park.  I loved discovering a peaceful shrine, set right along the bank of the pond. 

Hidden amongst the trees of Inokashira Park is a small zoo.  It is broken into two areas.  The lower space is the home of birds and waterlife.  The upper zoo is more traditional with a variety of smaller animals.  Since the zoo is small, it does not house any large animals.

There are lots of trees about in both areas, providing shade during the hot daytime for all the animals and the visitors.  The exhibits were mostly cages, but they were filled with greenery and amusement for the animals.

One memorable exhibit was the squirrels.  To see an animal that lives in incredible abundance in the states at a zoo just makes me laugh.  Of course, these are Japanese squirrels, not run of the mill pests that ravage gardens by digging everywhere and dine on vegetables.  But there were two cages.  One cage is an atrium where people wander around with squirrels playing games around them.  The second cage was for breeding.

It was a nice little zoo to stroll around in.  My son especially enjoyed the passport book (collecting stamps throughout the zoo in a special book to collect a prize at the end).  Each of the ten stations asked a question about a nearby animal that needed to be answered by indicating the correct information in the book.  The game was both educational and fun.

It was a lovely little zoo in a lovely park.  Spending the day there was a great choice because it was not too much on a hot day.  I also think this is a great zoo for little kids because there is still a lot to see, but it isn't a huge zoo that will wear out the little ones.