Izu Shaboten Zoo

If you’ve just ridden the Mt. Omuro cable car (the tram that takes you to the top of the grassy volcano), turn around and walk literally across the road — that’s where you’ll find Izu Shaboten Zoo. It’s the perfect laid-back half-day activity after the view from the summit. This isn’t one of those massive, exhausting zoos. It’s compact, shady, and genuinely cozy. On the weekday I visited, it felt almost private — hardly any crowds, just the sound of gravel underfoot and the occasional peacock screech. Of course, the undisputed stars are the capybaras. They have a huge outdoor area with a hot-spring bath (yes, the capybaras actually soak in an onsen in winter — adorable doesn’t even begin to cover it). Even in summer they’re ridiculously chill, lounging in the water or munching grass while visitors watch in quiet awe. Other highlights: • Free-roaming peacocks that follow you around like they own the place (one decided to walk with me for a solid ten minutes — best escort ever). • A fantastic walk-through bird zone where flamingos, sacred ibis, ducks, geese, and spoonbills wander right past your feet. No cages, just a big netted area — you really feel like you’ve stepped into their world. • Classic zoo lineup done well: cheeky otters, wallabies, antelopes, donkeys, turkeys, parrots, even a few lazy sloths hanging in the greenhouse section. My only tiny disappointment was that the shoebill wasn’t on display the day I went (apparently he sometimes takes “days off” inside). Next time! Everything feels lovingly maintained, the paths are easy, there are plenty of benches in the shade, and the whole vibe is relaxed and happy. Combine it with the cable car and the cactus greenhouse (the “shaboten” part of the name) next door, and you’ve got yourself a perfect easygoing afternoon on the Izu Plateau.

I visited Izu Shaboten Zoo by bike on Friday, and it was lively with many tourists and local schoolchildren. In the nocturnal animals’ area, I saw bats for the first time in my life, which was a memorable experience. The zoo has a spacious layout where animals move around freely, and of course the capybaras were a highlight. The best part was the cactus-picking activity, where you choose your own cactus and pot to create a unique arrangement to take home. Although the entrance fee felt a bit high, the experience and atmosphere made it worth it.

One of the best zoos! You can see the animals up close and it’s so rare to have the chance to feed so many animals. You can buy the food around the park that correspond to the different animals. The new giraffe enclosure is amazing, you can see the giraffes from their height! But the capybaras are always the highlight, no matter how many times we visit ! Try a capybara burger in the restaurant!

Mixed feelings. Let the bigger animals have a bigger home‼️The park itself was better than expected, whole park took 2-3 hours. The staff was friendly & the small animals look reasonably well kept. I would give it 5 stars for the smaller animals but for the larger animals it was depressing!!There was a bear/cat animal that was in one of the indoors enclosure and it was 5 steps for the entire home. Totally messed up. Some of the apes looked depressed. It rained but they provided umbrellas at the entrance & it was totally fine in the rain. I hope more people can speak out about the small enclosures.

Great zoo size that we covered in about 4 hours with a 4 and 6 year old. Nice cactus greenhouses with an impressive collection of 100+ year old specimens. Animal enclosures didn't many intrusive barriers which allowed us to get nice and close. There were plenty of food stations to buy feed for practically all the animals too. This type of experience would be really expensive back in Australia. General admission was also reasonable too. Definitely recommended for a family outing if you're in the area 👌