Hokkaido's Asahiyama Zoo

The video "JG 4K Asahiyama Zoo, Hokkaido" (JG 4K 北海道 旭山動物園 Asahiyama Zoo, Hokkaido), introduces Asahiyama Zoo, a popular tourist spot in Hokkaido.

Asahiyama Zoo is 15 hectares. It's the size of about 3 Tokyo Domes.
There are over 650 animals (100 species) bred in the park.
The 20-minute video contains plenty of cute animals, so be sure to check it out!

About Hokkaido Asahiyama Zoo

Photo：Asahiyama Zoo

Hokkaido Asahiyama Zoo, known as the northernmost zoo in Japan, is a historical zoo that opened in 1951.
The special feature of Asahiyama Zoo is the "Behavior Exhibit" where you can see the behavior and life of the animals.

The facility is designed to allow visitors to get up close and personal with animals that move around freely. To achieve this goal, penguins roam the park freely, and they hold an event to display meal time called "Munching Time."

Another characteristic of Asahiyama Zoo's exhibition is the "mixed exhibition" in which different animals are raised in the same place.
The Asahiyama Zoo was in danger of closing in 1994 (Heisei 6), but by incorporating these exhibits, the Asahiyama Zoo has recovered brilliantly.
During its big boom, it became the nation's top zoo, attracting 3 million visitors annually.
Currently, you can see behavior exhibits at zoos around the country.

The Animals of Asahiyama Zoo

Photo：Asahiyama Zoo

From 0:25 in the video, you can see the popular penguins, and from 2:04, you can see the awesome appearance of the polar bears at the Polar Bear Hall.

In the video, you can see the tiger at the "Fierce Animal House" (もうじゅう館) (15:29-), a snow leopard (15:38), an Ussuri brown bear (15:48), elephants, seals (9:41), red pandas (18:08), snowy owls (18:46), cranes (19:10), and eagles (19:27).

The park is quite large, and visitors can enjoy a variety of facilities, such as the 360-degree underwater tunnel, a hippopotamus building, a wolf forest, flamingo house, monkey house, giraffe house, a suspension bridge, and a marine way.
Although not shown in the video, you can see reindeer, hippos, giraffes, chimpanzees, ostriches, Japanese macaques, foxes, raccoons, capybaras and other animals as well.

One of the attractions of the Asahiyama Zoo is its various events that are held throughout the year. During the Obon season, they extend their hours of operation to allow you to observe nocturnal animals in a different way than you do during the day.
There is also a restaurant where you can enjoy lunch and a souvenir shop where you can purchase limited edition animal merchandise.
Take your time and enjoy the sights along the tour.

Summary of Hokkaido's Asahiyama Zoo

Photo：A King Penguin

Hokkaido has a variety of sightseeing spots, including Sapporo City, Furano, and Hakodate, so be sure to visit Asahiyama Zoo if you're headed that way.

There are a number of sightseeing tours offered, but since your time at the zoo is limited to 2-3 hours, it may not be enough to enjoy all that the zoo has to offer.
In winter, business hours are shorter, so please check the weather and other information before visiting.
There are restaurants and hotels in the surrounding area, so it's a good idea to stay in Asahikawa and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city.
As of March 31, 2018, the Asahiyama Zoo Live Camera was discontinued, so please take the time to enjoy the animals' ecology through this video.

◆Asahiyama Zoo◆
【Address】 Kuranuma, Higashi Asahikawa Town, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido
【Director】Gen Bando
【Access】About 40 minutes by bus from Asahikawa Station (2 hours from Sapporo). There is also the "Asahiyama Zoo Train" that runs between Sapporo and Asahikawa.
【Hours】Summer 9: 30-17: 15, Winter 10: 30-15: 30
【Admission Fee】Free for junior high school students and younger, 820 yen for high school students and older (special discount coupon available for senior citizens)
【Parking】Available (free)
【Phone number】0166-36-1104

【Official Website】Home | Asahikawa City Asahiyama Zoo
https://honyaku.j-server.com/LUCAKC/ns/tl.cgi/https://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/asahiyamazoo/index.html?SLANG=ja&TLANG=en&XMODE=0&XCHARSET=utf-8&XJSID=0

【Tripadvisor】 Asahiyama Zoo
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g319103-d780529-Reviews-Asahiyama_Zoo-Asahikawa_Hokkaido.html