Monday, July 4, 2016

Sightseeing in Shizuoka: Fuji Safari Park

Anette 8:00:00 AM Animals, Japan, Mt. Fuji, Nature, Shizuoka Prefecture

A giraffe in front of Mt. Fuji (taken from Fuji Safari Park's homepage)

For people wanting to see the sacred Mt. Fuji while in Japan it is possible to combine the trip with other activities in the vicinity, and a visit to Fuji Safari Park might be an enjoyable option for both young and old travelers. The park is located in Susano in Shizuoka Prefecture, and can be reached by car from Tokyo in about 1 hour 45 minutes so it is also an option for a day trip if you don't want to spend the night. Last weekend I and some friends stopped by the safari park as a part of our trip to Shizuoka where our main goal was to go paragliding with Mt. Fuji in the background.

Browse places to stay around Mt. Fuji on Agoda.com.

A map of the safari park from their homepage

The safari park is not that big so you can drive through it in about an hour. The area where you are free to drive around is divided into a number of zones depending on the type of animals that are living there. It seems that the animals had more or less reasonable space to move around. Some of the carnivorous animals were a lot more restricted in terms of movement though, but it might be that some of the more aggressive individuals were restrained from the others for purpose.

Two lions sleeping in a tree

One of the great things about the safari park is that you're allowed to drive your own car through it. For us, this meant that we could see all the animals at our own pace rather than having to follow a set schedule.We spent about an hour to get through the park, and that was just enough time for us.
During the safari drive, you're not allowed to go out of the car during the drive, and you should also not open the windows. Unfortunately, it was clouded so we couldn't see Mt. Fuji, but we still had a good time in the park. Here are some of my pictures from the drive:

After we finished driving through the main area we came to a part of the park where we could leave the car and walk around to see some of the smaller animals. Here you could also find souvenir shops and food stalls if you're hungry, and they also have some optional activities where you can pay a little bit extra to cuddle with rabbits, cats or dogs. They also offer the opportunity to hold lion babies cubs at some set times of the day.

The rabbit's house where you can cuddle rabbits for 500 yen

The "animal village" where some of the smaller animals are kept

We had a very nice visit to the safari park. I don't think I would have driven all the way from Tokyo for the park itself but it is definitely a good option if you find yourself in the area and are looking for additional activities to try out while you're there. For more information about the park please see the information below:

■ Basic Info

・Place: Fuji Safari Park (スカイ朝霧)
・Address：2255-27 Fujiwara, Suyama, Susono 410-1231 , Shizuoka Prefecture
・Phone: +81 55-998-1311
・Opening Hours:
- From Mar.16 to Sep.30 9:00 to 17:00
- From Oct.1 to Oct.31 9:00 to 16:30
- From Nov.1 to Mar.15 10:00 to 15:30
・Price:
- Adults (high school students and older) 2,700yen
- Children (ages 4 to junior high school students) 1,500yen
- Senior discount (ages 65 and older) 2,000yen
・Official Home Page：http://www.fujisafari.co.jp/english/

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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.