Himeji City Zoo

Overview

Himeji City Zoo is a zoo located within Himeji Park in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, adjacent to the Sannomaru square of Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site. It opened in December 1951 and is designated by the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education as a museum-equivalent facility under Japan's Museum Act. As of 2011 it kept roughly 120 species and 400 animals, with annual visitors of about 400,000.

Highlights

• ●A setting adjacent to the Sannomaru square of Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site
• ●A long history dating to its opening in December 1951
• ●Designation as a museum-equivalent facility under the Museum Act
• ●A collection of roughly 120 species and 400 animals

History

The zoo opened on 1 December 1951 to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco. In 1955 it was designated a museum-equivalent facility. Because of the aging and cramped premises, the plan to restore the inner moat of Himeji Castle, and its location within a Special Historic Site that made large-scale expansion impossible, the city of Himeji decided in June 2024 to relocate it outside the castle grounds.

Map

34.8368, 134.6942 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Stroll around the neighboring Sannomaru square of Himeji Castle
2. 2Enter the zoo and view the animals on display
3. 3Explore exhibits covering roughly 120 species within the grounds
4. 4Walk through Himeji Park to enjoy the surrounding scenery

Did you know?

💡 Every late December a handover ceremony has been held to pass the role of zodiac animal from the current year to the next.

Nearby spots