Asahiyama Zoo
Japan's most innovative zoo, which rescued itself from near-closure in the 1990s by pioneering "behaviour exhibits" — glass tunnels through penguin tanks, polar bear pools with underwater viewing, and orangutan sky-walks overhead. The winter penguin parade, when keepers walk the birds through snow for exercise, has become one of Hokkaido's most beloved daily spectacles.
3–4 hours
¥1,000 adult; free for junior high school students and below
Summer (late Apr–mid-Oct): 9:30–17:15; Winter (mid-Nov–early Apr): 10:30–15:30; closed 8–25 Apr, 4–10 Nov, and 30 Dec–1 Jan.
April–November (summer season); January–March (winter penguin walks)
About 45 min by bus from Asahikawa Station (Asahikawa Denkikido bus no. 41 or 47 to Asahiyama Zoo, departs from North Exit bus stop 6; runs about every 30 min).
Location
Why Visit
- 1
The penguin walk (January–March) sees 100+ penguins waddling through the zoo grounds in a single-file parade
- 2
The underwater polar bear exhibit lets visitors stand nose-to-nose with swimming bears through thick acrylic glass
- 3
Orangutans cross between buildings on a high-wire "sky walk" 17 metres above visitors' heads
- 4
The zoo was on the verge of closing in 1994 but reinvented itself with immersive exhibits and now draws 1 million visitors annually
Local Tips
Arrive at 11:00 for the morning penguin walk in winter (Jan–Mar). Polar bear feeding is at 11:00 and 15:00 — check the daily schedule board at the entrance.
Add to your AI itinerary
Let AI build a multi-day trip around this spot.
Advertisement
More in Hokkaido
Abashiri Drift Ice & Aurora Icebreaker Cruise
Each winter the Sea of Okhotsk freezes in Siberia and vast sheets of drift ice — up to 1 metre thick — flow south to Abashiri, turning the sea into a grinding white plain. The Aurora icebreaker smashes through these floes on 1-hour cruises, and on calm days visitors can step onto the ice itself. This is the southernmost naturally occurring drift ice on the planet.
Biei Patchwork Road
Rolling farmland hills west of Biei town that resemble a giant patchwork quilt — wheat, potatoes, lavender and sunflower fields stitched together across gentle knolls. Best explored by rental bicycle in summer.
Cape Kamui
The dramatic tip of the Shakotan Peninsula — sheer volcanic rock cliffs plunging into cobalt blue "Shakotan Blue" sea. A 20–30 minute coastal walk leads to the cape where you stand surrounded on three sides by open ocean.