Asahiyama Zoo, Hokkaido

“Asahiyama Zoo”, surrounded by the majestic nature of Hokkaido, opened in 1967 as Asahikawa’s first zoo. Since then, half a century of history has its ups and downs, became attracted to the media, sometimes taken up in dramas and the like. Even now when the temporary boom settles down, it continues to be loved by citizens and tourists as a unique and attractive zoo.
Asahiyama Zoo is a popular zoo that competes for the first and second place in Japan despite being small. At the Asahiyama Zoo, the number of visitors declined as the park closed. However, it is also known that successful attracting customers by devising display methods.
As a zoo in the northernmost part of Japan, it is well suited to raising animals in cold regions such as polar bears, seals, penguins and so on. Winter specialty “Penguin walk” is an extremely popular event where you can see the appearance of King Penguin walking all the way on the snowy road.
This zoo became very popular because it took in the unique idea of “behavior exhibition”. In general, it is common for zoos to have animals in cages and fences. However, in this zoo, environment and space near nature are prepared so that animals can be seen in their original form. In addition, it is devised here so that visitors can see the behavior of the animals from nearby. It is the greatest charm of this zoo that you can feel the presence and dynamism of animals that you can not taste at other zoos.
There were more than 3 million visitors a year during the height of the day when attention was paid to media and others. At that time it was crowded and it was in a state where you could not see the animals calmly. However, as the boom has calmed down now, you will be able to see the animals slowly and up close. When traveling in Hokkaido, please go and see the animals by all means.

exhibition showing the animal life as it is

Asahiyama Zoo is the northernmost zoo in Japan that is located in the central part of Hokkaido and Asahikawa city manages. It is proud of the most popular zoo in Japan. In recent years, it was also taken up more often with television or a magazine.
After all, Asahiyama Zoo attracted attention with its style of exhibition showing the animal life as it is.

Not “morphological exhibition”, but “behavioral exhibition”

The highlight of Asahiyama Zoo is “behavioral exhibition.” The exhibition method of the zoo in conventional Japan was “morphological exhibition” which focused on showing an animal’s form. However, by introducing “behavioral exhibition” which shows behavior and a life of an animal in Asahiyama Zoo, it has met with an enthusiastic reception.

Lion and a tiger move freely in the environment near the nature

The submerged floating tunnel is established in the pool of a penguin, a lion and a tiger move freely in the environment near the nature and, it aimed at the institution structure which can be seen the figure which an animal moves, and swims and flies from a short distance.

“Behavioral exhibition” was extremely popular

The penguin walk in winter is also one of the highlights. Since “behavioral exhibition” was extremely popular, it was only twice a day after the 2005 fiscal year. In addition, the event which is called “yum yum time” exhibits an animal behavioral pattern is also one of the highlights.

Breeding members who had deep feelings of affection for the animals

In order to overcome the situation where the number of visitors have fallen off, people of the breeding member of the zoo made an efforts to change the exhibition method from 1996. That is the reason that the Asahiyama Zoo came to be loved so much. The “Penguin House” in which a penguin seems to be flying in the air where is also the symbolic existence and is the spectacle of the highlights. The reason Asahiyama Zoo attracts many people, probably, it is in the breeding members who had deep feelings of affection for the animals.

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