Izu Shaboten Zoo

maybe one of my favorite zoos! the amount if interaction you get with animals is awesome and many are able to roam freely in massive enclosed spaces that allow people to walk through. you can feed (and pet) capybaras! you can also feed deer, monkeys, sheep, alpacas, otters- almost every animal in the zoo can be fed by you for ¥200-¥300. There’s also a giraffe you can feed! I also believe you can get a discount if you buy tickets in advance, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Izu Shaboten Zoo is a fun and peaceful place. It’s good for both kids and adults. We had a great time there. It was beyond our expectations. We didn't expect it to be so entertaining and fun. You can see many animals up close, like capybaras, monkeys, birds, and kangaroos. The capybaras are very cute. They even have a section where some of the pets were roaming within the specific fences area such as rabbit, capybaras and etc. You can even buy snacks (spring onions) to feed them. Other animals at specific attractions also have treats to feed them as well. It's my first time seeing live fish as a treat for the animals. There are specific instructions given on how to feed the animals. The treats cost about 100-300 yen depending on each attraction site. The zoo is not too big, so it’s easy to walk around. There are also many different kinds of cactus plants from all over the world. There is even a section where you can decorate and make your own cactus. The place is clean and the staff are nice. The zoo is really very well maintained. Tip: It’s easier to visit if you have a car because it’s far from the city. Buy the tickets from klook it's much cheaper and also the zoo is next to mount Omuro. Go to mount omuro early cause the queue is insane then can make you way to the izu zoo but also depends on your trip itinerary.

Nice, kid friendly zoo! Lots of animals and a great visit. If you wanna visit, it normally takes 3 hours or less to go through the entire park. The peacocks run free! They even have a capybara and other critters petting zoo.

Highly unusual zoo with loads of birds, small mammals, even monkeys, allowed to roam freely. Expect to see peacocks, emus, and even kangaroos walk right past the guests or even beg for food. There are feed stations at most exhibits where you pay 200 or 300 yen and get a small amount of food to give to the animals - sometimes by hand! Most of the animals are well trained by this point and will immediately know what to expect as soon as you open the food box. Some of the free-roaming ones will even chase and follow a guest they see interact with the stations. There's a boat ride and a bird section where you can pet flamingos. There's a petting house with hamsters, giant rabbits, and even red pandas. There's a parrot section and a penguin exhibit where you can feed them live fish. And then of course the famous capybara onsen. There is also what they call the "animal show" exhibit. Several times a day, there are for entertainment animal-based performances, often involving the guests, available at no extra fee. One show has them race hamsters while another has guests picked out of the audience compete against the animals in contests of agility. Children can participate so this is excellent for families. There are no marine animals, large animals, or predators at this zoo so it's a very particular selection, but the animal interaction is outstanding. I highly recommend it to any animal lover.

I recently visited Izu Shaboten Zoo, mainly to see the capybaras, and it was a wonderful experience especially for kids! The zoo is very clean and well-maintained, making it a great place for families with children. The animals are well cared for, and the environment feels natural and welcoming. However, as a foreign visitor, I found it a bit challenging to fully enjoy some aspects of the experience. The animal shows were entirely in Japanese, which made it difficult to understand, and the process of downloading photos from the official website was not very foreigner-friendly. It would be even better if there were more language support options available. Overall, I still had a great time and would recommend this zoo, especially for those who love capybaras! I hope to visit again in the future.