Kobe Oji Zoo

Overview

Kobe Oji Zoo is a municipal zoo set inside Oji Park in Nada Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. An amusement facility sits right next to the zoo grounds, so a visit can combine animal-watching with rides. The zoo is known as the only one in Japan that keeps both giant pandas and koalas at the same time.

Highlights

• ●The giant panda enclosure
• ●The koala house, part of the only zoo in Japan pairing pandas and koalas
• ●The big-cat area with Siberian tigers and snow leopards
• ●A stroll linking the zoo grounds with the adjoining amusement facility in Oji Park

History

The zoo traces its roots to the earlier Suwayama Zoo and opened at its present Oji Park site on March 21, 1951. In the decades since, it has expanded its collection to include giant pandas, koalas, and rarer carnivores such as Siberian (Amur) tigers and snow leopards, becoming one of Kobe's long-standing family destinations.

Map

34.7100, 135.2144 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Enter near opening time and head first to the giant panda enclosure
2. 2Visit the koala house to see Japan's only panda-and-koala pairing
3. 3Walk through the big-cat area to see Siberian tigers and snow leopards
4. 4Wind down with a break at the adjoining amusement facility and green space in Oji Park before leaving

Did you know?

💡 Kobe Oji Zoo is said to be the only zoo in Japan where visitors can see giant pandas and koalas together at the same facility. It also keeps large cats such as Siberian tigers and snow leopards, and its lineage goes back to the earlier Suwayama Zoo.

Nearby spots