Chausuyama Zoo

We had a very good time at the Zoo, with many interesting displays. The zoo offers some great backdrop, being on the hillside. Good destination for foreign tourists or families with children, the apes are very entertaining, and there was a small petting zoo.

At the end of the day, it's a zoo in Japan, so the animal welfare isn't as good as countries like Australia. Some animal cages such as that for the bears seemed particularly sad and there's not a large space for many of them to roam. In captivity, wombats typically are okay in a smaller space, though it still needs to be spacious enough to allow for burrowing, exercise, and exploration. A captive enclosure for a wombat should be at least 500 to 1,000 square meters (5,400 to 10,800 square feet), with plenty of substrate for digging and areas for the wombat to retreat to for privacy. Here they would barely have space to park a car. It's better than some zoos I've been to in Japan and of course my 2 year old daughter enjoyed being up close to the animals - but as adults we can recognise that the conditions and placement for many of these creatures is not ideal. You could see the elephant pacing around a cage that wasn't even big enough for it to make a full circle and so backed up to make a turn... Over and over again. I think the mental health of the larger creatures must not be good. I'm sure the zoo keepers are very caring and it was clean everywhere but it is just a matter of the owners keeping large creatures in small spaces for easy viewing and profit with minimal regard for the animals. If all you care about is getting a photo with a few animals and laughing at some monkeys I'm sure you'll have a blast.

A wonderful experience. The staff were friendly and animals seemed to be in very good condition. I absolutely loved the indoor red panda display as well as the Macaques and lions enclosure.

Discover Chausyama Zoo in Nagano – a charming medium-sized zoo with Tigers, Lions, Elephants, and Giraffes. Although it closes at 16:00, the diverse animal collection ensures a delightful visit. The Lesser Panda, stealing the spotlight, adds an extra layer of charm to the experience. Experience the wonder of wildlife in a serene setting. A perfect outing for animal lovers!

Fun-filled-friendly zoo. The place is super big, spacious for family and school trip. Haven't seen real elephant, tiger, lion, giraffe and bear in my entire life. 4 hrs was worth the drive. Picnics, dinosaur playgrounds and activities.