Tokyo, home to skyscrapers and concrete structures of every kind, is also home to a handful of man-made jungles: its zoos.
The three parks described below are far from the only ways to meet animals that Tokyo has to offer travelers. You can find other, smaller zoos around the city too. But this trio is without a doubt among the very best.
Ueno Zoo
Japan's oldest and most revered zoological park opened its gates on March 20, 1882. Its central location makes it perfect for tourists and locals alike. In 2006, it welcomed roughly 3.5 million visitors.
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Remarkably spacious for a site tucked among Tokyo's buildings and skyscrapers, Ueno Zoo is home not only to the usual tigers, gorillas, and hippos, but also to species rarely seen in other zoos, such as the African okapi and the elusive Japanese giant salamander. A few of the enclosures could use a little work to create a more natural setting, but on the whole Ueno does a solid job for an urban zoological park.
The monorail that runs through the park, serving more as entertainment for visitors with children than as real transportation, was the first of its kind built in Japan.
Fun fact: Ueno Zoo may be the only zoo that lets visitors try the very same foods its animals eat. The "Momoko Healthy Lunch" is an exact copy of the fruits, nuts, vegetables, and legumes fed to the zoo's lowland gorillas (though in human-sized portions).
Ueno Park: Ueno Park 9-83, Taito-ku, +81 (0)3 3828 5171
Tama Zoological Park
Located an hour by train west of central Tokyo, Tama Zoo is known for its large, lifelike habitats. Roughly four times the size of Ueno Zoo, its sprawling enclosures sit on and around a large hill, making a visit feel more like a hike than a stroll. (For those who would prefer a little help, shuttle buses run along the paths.)
Tama Zoo is divided into four areas: the Asian Garden, the African Garden, the Australian Garden, and the Insectarium. Among its other highlights are an aerial walkway for orangutans, which lets the apes move freely between enclosures, and the Lion Garden, where visitors can ride through the big-cat enclosure aboard an armored bus draped with meat.
Speaking of cats, the tiger enclosure is well worth a visit. There's a giant cat toy made of ropes and tires that visitors can shake to send the predators pouncing on it. (Just be careful not to get flung into the air yourself when they start pulling back. It's hard to imagine anything like this existing in countries more worried about lawsuits.)
And watch out for the peacocks. Left uncaged and entirely to their own devices, they consider the whole park their enclosure.
Fun fact: The Butterfly House in the Insectarium, a huge greenhouse filled with tropical butterflies, is an especially lovely place to visit during the winter months for an early taste of summer.
Tama Zoo: Hodokubo 7-1-1, Hino-shi, +81 (0)42 591 1611
Mother Farm
Okay, this isn't exactly a zoo in the traditional sense. And it isn't exactly in Tokyo.
Set among rolling pastures deep in Chiba Prefecture, Mother Farm sits two hours from central Tokyo, making it more of a day trip than a spot for casual visitors. But then again, that's precisely its charm.
Billed as an entertainment farm, it feels more like a country fair than a zoological park. The grounds hold enough flowers and ornamental trees to fill an arboretum (it's a wonderful place to see sweeping stretches of plum, azalea, and cherry blossom, among others), a small amusement park, flower gardens, orchards, and farmland devoted to raising cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, ostriches, donkeys, rabbits, and just about any other farm animal you can think of.
Fittingly, the activities here mostly revolve around country life, such as hands-on cow milking, horseback riding, sheepherding with dogs, and a daily duck parade. Fruit and vegetable picking is on offer too.
You can savor fresh lamb at the on-site Mongolian barbecue restaurant, though we'd suggest leaving a little gap between taking the kids to see the fluffy grazing animals and grazing on them yourself.
Fun fact: The only place within relatively easy reach of Tokyo where you can watch pig races.
Mother Farm: Takura 940-3, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture, +81 (0)439 37 3211
Getting there: From Tokyo Station, take the Sazanami express to Kimitsu Station, then transfer to a Kimitsu bus (reservation required). Alternatively, take the JR from Chiba Station to Sanukimachi Station, then transfer to a local city bus bound for Mother Bokujo.
Hiroko Yoda is the author of many books on Japan, including "Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide," "Ninja Attack!: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws," and "Yurei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide."
