Nasu, not far from Tokyo, is mainly known for being a summer resort that is comparable to Karuizawa in Nagano. There you will not only find natural beauty, but also art galleries, hot springs, and zoos.
 
JAPANKURU went to Nasu for the first time in a while and this time decided to go to their series of zoos; Nasu Animal Kingdom, Nasu World Monkey Park, and Nasu Safari Park.

The first one of the three we are going to start with is Nasu Animal Kingdom. We know we have written about this zoo before, but recently a new area and new animal friends were introduced to the zoo so we decided to write about their new park!❤

First, let us mention that there are many different animal shows and chances to interact with animals every day at Nasu Animal Kingdom! Many of the shows even allow you to take a picture with an aniｍal afterwards making a great souvenir for animal lovers of all ages. We recommend checking out the show schedules first thing so you don't miss anything.

🐦 Bird Performance time – Weekdays: 11:30, 2:30pm, Weekends & Holidays: 12:30, 2:30pm
🐑 New Zealand Farm show time – Weekdays: 1:30pm, Weekends & Holidays: 11:30, 3pm
😻 Cat Show time – Weekdays: 1:30pm, Weekends & Holidays: 11, 2pm
🐬 Aqua Friends show time – Weekdays: 12:30pm, Weekends & Holidays: 11:30, 1:30pm
Animal Show Daily Schedule (Japanese)

🐧 Nasu Animal Kingdom (那須どうぶつ王国) 
🏢1042-1, Oshima, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi
⏰Weekdays – 10:00am-4:30pm, Weekends and holidays – 9:00am-5:00pm
❄During the winter – 10:00am-4:00pm
(Note: They stop selling tickets 30 minutes before the park is closed, and the animals will start to be taken in)
💴Adults 2,400yen (middle school and above), Children 1,000yen (age three to elementary school)
Winter price: Adults 1,200yen, Children 700yen
💻English official page
Japanese official page

Moving the subtropical wetlands into the Nasu Animal Kingdom, the Wetland area was launched to celebrate Nasu Animal Kingdom's 20th anniversary. There are more than ten kinds of animals here, and many of them are barrier free! From time to time, you will be jumping around your lemurs or waiting for ducks to cross. You can also feed the animals but touching isn't allowed.
The main star of the area is a gorgeous big-eyed Jaguar❤❤ So stop by to say hello!👋
 
🐆 Wetland Park Opening Hours 
Weekdays: 10:00am-4:00pm 
Weekends: 9:00am-4:30pm

Compared to the other Nasu zoo series,  NASU WORLD MONKEY PARK  allows you to fully interact with almost all of their animal cuties! Imagine a Japanese monkey cafe (can you imagine such a place?!❤), and double it!! 

🐒 NASU WORLD MONKEY PARK (那須ワールドモンキーパーク) 
🏢6146, Takakuko, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi
⏰9:00am-5pm, Weekends and holidays – 9:00am-5:00pm
💴Adults 2,100yen (middle school and above), Children 1,200yen (age three to elementary school)
🚉Get off at JR Kuroiso Station (黒磯駅) and take the Toya Bus (東野交通バス)
that is headed for "Highland Park" (ハイランドパーク行き), get off at "Rindo Lake" (りんどう湖) and walk about 10mins.
💻Japanese official page

Petting Area (ふれあい広場)

There are a lot of animals you get to pet like rabbits and sheep, but of course, the stars of the petting area are the monkeys! Hyper monkeys jumping and climbing from one place to another like lemurs, squirrel monkeys, and even Japanese macaque (famous for being the monkeys in Aomori Prefecture's hot spring snow monkeys)! You can look at them from outside the fenced area, but going inside and interacting with all the animals is really fun and a once in a lifetime opportunity!🐵❤🐍 To see a list of what animals you can interact with, check their website here.

Monkey Playhouse (サル劇場)

For those that love watching the amazing things animals can do, showing off how intelligent they actually are, you should visit the Monkey Theatre! Each monkey (and even a cute kitty😺) has their own personality and specialty in the performance, so you are sure to see different skills and performances. 

⏰Show times: 10:30, 1:00, 3:00
*Performance lasts approximately 30-40mins
Monkey Theatre page here (JPN)

Nasu Elephant Forest (ゾウの森)

Yes! They have elephants you can ride at Nasu World Monkey Park! You can also feed them afterwards and say "otsukaresama!" (thank you, good work in Japanese)
Additional fees are required, please check the website for more info.

🐘⏰9:00-4:45pm (buy tickets until 4:30pm)
1. Elephant Ride (ゾウライド): 2,000yen 
↪ Take a ride around the area
2. Elephant Trek: 3,000yen
↪ Go around the mountain path
🍏 Feeding: 1 bucket of fruit for 500yen

Many people would never expect a safari adventure in Japan, but it's totally possible! NASU SAFARI PARK has about 70 species of wild animals from around the world, including giraffes, hippos, white lions, and antelope, living in a free-range manner.🦏 

🐅NASU SAFARI PARK (那須サファリパーク)
🏢3523 Takakuotsu, Nasu, Nasu District, Tochigi
Google Maps
⏰Business hours: 9:00am-5:00pm (weekdays), 8:30am-5:00pm (weekends and holidays),
6:30pm-10:00pm (Night Safari, double check dates and info on the website here)
💰Admission fee: Adults 2,800yen (middle school and above), Children 1,900yen (age three to elementary school)
Night Safari: 2,400yen for adults (same as above), 1,800yen for children (same as above)
*Night Safari bus tour is free
💻Official website

When you come to Nasu Safari Park, you can choose between "MY CAR" (driving your own car), "RENTAL" (renting a safari car) and the really cool "LION BUS"! Although you can still open your windows and feed the animals through the gaps of cars if you choose to drive, if you take the sightseeing bus you can get up close and personal to the animals, animals like fierce lions and tigers! If you want to get the full excitement of being around these animals and feeding them, we recommend choosing a sightseeing bus!

🚙🐫Admission plan
*Self-driving (MY CAR): admission fee + GPS audio guide 500yen
*Renting a safari car (RENTAL): entrance fee + car rental fee starting from 2,000yen (2,000yen for small cars, 3,000yen for large cars)
*Sightseeing bus (LION BUS): entrance fee + adult 1,100yen/child 600yen

Getting to Nasu’s Animal Parks by Bus

The Nasu Shuttle Bus will take you all around to two of these three parks, the Nasu World Monkey Park and Nasu Safari Park. It also takes you to other popular activities and places in Nasu. To board the bus each time it costs 500yen, so if you intend on boarding the bus more than once we recommend getting the one-day free pass that you can get at any bus stop except for Shinnasu (新那須). 

To get to Nasu Animal Kingdom, if coming from JR Nasushiobara Station there is a free shuttle bus.

🦊Nasu Sightseeing Shuttle Bus "Kyubii-Go" (キュービー号):
Running time: 9:00am-5:23pm
One-day ticket: Adults 1,000yen, children 500yen
One-way ticket: 500yen (adult and children same price)
🚌For bus route, timetable, and more information click here

Yuainomori Bus Stop

Kyubii-Go Bus (Kyubi = nine-tailed fox in Japanese)

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