Has anyone been to any reputable animal Sanctuaries in Japan? Or a place to observe animals in the wild? I love animals and would love to see animals that are unique to Japan.
However, I want to do this ethically or not at all.
I’m not interested in the flashy things like the capybara Cafe either as it supports wildlife trade.
I’m also not interested in zoos. Any zoo allowing you to touch animals is a red flag for animal welfare.
Thanks for any ideas 🙂
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Plenty of wild boars out my way
You will need to travel to Hokkaido to national parks in there (Akan-Mashu, Kushiro Shitsugen and Shiretoko in particular).
Visit Nara Park. It’s not a sanctuary but there are lots of deers that roam freely. They have grown accustomed to tourist feeding them but can get quite aggressive.
thank you for this. i keep learning about different animal cafes here in tokyo. and every time, i go and leave a 1-star review on google maps to try and dissuade people. last week i learned there’s a freaking owl cafe here. what is wrong with people?
Nakasendo trail, maybe you’ll meet some bears on the way.
Japan does not have good animal protection/sanctuary laws. Don’t go expecting much. I typically avoid most animal related experiences in Japan and will *never* go to an animal cafe that houses nocturnal animals. Cafes are the *worst* possible environment for nocturnal animals like owls and hedgehogs and I’m annoyed every time I see one. There are a few cafes that are ethically run as animal shelters and they will have strict no petting/holding the cats rules unless they come up to you. I went to the Save Cat Cafe in Osaka and most of the cats were sound asleep when I was there though one did come up and sleep nearby me so I could pet him. Was a nice way to get out of the cold/rain for me that day and support a cafe whose mission is to find homes for cats that would otherwise have been euthanized.
– [7 Ethical Animal Experiences in Japan](https://savvytokyo.com/7-ethical-animal-experiences-around-japan/)
– [7 Ethical Cat Cafes in Tokyo](https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/ethical-cat-cafes-tokyo/)
If you head up to Hokkaido, the national parks there are home to lots of wildlife. We visited Lake Akan and saw heaps of deer, a red fox, and tons of birds including endangered cranes off in the fields along the roadsides. The deer are a big challenge up there right now though as the numbers are getting too large and they are damaging the forest and undergrowth which takes away habitat for other animals/insects. So the region is trying to balance management of the size of the wild deer with other environmental concerns.
– [Plants and Animals Akan Mashu National Park](https://www.japan.travel/national-parks/parks/akan-mashu/plants-and-animals/)
Some coastal areas are also marine sanctuaries/parks in Japan. So if you like scuba diving, snorkeling, or sea bird watching those are options too. But….. some of these are heavily touristed so they aren’t all the uber natural untouched wilderness. Some are, but the more accessible ones like Izu Peninsula will be more developed.
– [Japan Geoparks Network](https://geopark.jp/en/)
– [National Parks of Japan](https://www.japan.travel/national-parks/)
Finally, in the mountains anywhere in Japan you may encounter monkeys. They can actually be a bit of a pest as they tear apart garbage and can get aggressive at times. We saw a huge troop of monkeys in [Kamikochi National Park](https://www.kamikochi.org) which is gorgeous. Highly recommend a visit if you’re there between April 16 – November 15 (it’s closed for winter). There’s also [nearby Norikura which has tons of awesome waterfalls.](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/piyive/summer_weekend_in_matsumoto_and_waterfalls_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) The most famous is of course the Onsen Snow Monkeys in Nagano and while technically wild they are conditioned to come to that spot by food drops too (though tourists aren’t supposed to feed them). Basically, if there’s a bunch of ‘wild’ animals in one spot in Japan, someone is feeding them; usually to attract tourism.
The monkeys here are wild. You hike up the trail to the top and go inside the building while the monkeys are outside. From inside you can feed them stuff you buy in the building like apples etc.
You can walk outside with them but no food, and no eye contact. They are wild and direct eye contact is threatening
Iwatayama Peak Rest House
075-872-0950
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TcovRWS2mqPuyTdE9?g_st=ic
PS. Don’t go to the Fox Village near Zao. Not good
Wow thank you for posting this. I was looking at potential cafes but it didn’t even occur to me how unethical it is… poor babies. I will avoid them.