Best Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens Spot List

An aquarium where you'll learn from seeing, touching and playing

Boasting the largest variety of jellyfish in the world

This is an admission-free zoo where you can interact with cute little animals. The area where you can pet rabbits and guinea pigs is popular.

Come face to face with lions behind glass

This is an animal park at the top of Mt. Hodo, which is accessible by cable car from the Nagatoro area in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture. Visitors can interact with small animals in the park.

Make memories in Kobe’s picturesque herb garden, the largest in Japan

Located in a park looking down over Minato Mirai, the center area of Yokohama City, this zoo allows visitors to interact with animals up close.

One of the world's largest aquariums with a massive tank where a whale shark glides gracefully. The aquarium duplicates the natural environment surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

Take your time watching adorable animals

Japan's northernmost zoo is a drawcard thanks to its unique enclosures where you can see the animals living naturally.

Featuring fun shows and an Aqua Tunnel

Sea lions, seals, and many marine mammal shows

See rare plants from the south

Animals play in the snow at this northern zoo

The Institute for Nature Study, or Shizen Kyoiku-en, is an urban forest and green space where you can feel the changing seasons and embrace the beauty of nature in the midst of Tokyo.

The seas of Japan, the bond with the rest of the world, entertainment. The aquarium is a symbol of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, contributing to the revitalization of local communities.

This was the first zoo to be established in Japan, with more than 100 years of history. There are about 400 different species of animals, such as the giant panda, kept in this zoo.

This is a large garden full of tropical atmosphere on Enoshima Island. It was loved by the British import-export merchant Samuel Cocking.

This aquarium has introduced Japan's first tunnel aquarium, which offers a 360-degree view of the seals swimming around. It is an aquarium that both kids and adults can enjoy.

The mountain landscape painter Naoyuki Sakamoto captured the wild flowers of this forest for Rokkatei Confectionary's wrapping paper