Nasu Animal Kingdom — Healing Encounters with Animals on the Highland

Perched on the cool, breezy highlands of Nasu in northern Tochigi Prefecture, Nasu Animal Kingdom is one of Japan's most thoughtfully designed animal parks, where the emphasis is firmly on natural interaction rather than performance or spectacle. Spread across a generous expanse of highland meadow and woodland, the park allows visitors to walk freely among many of its resident animals — feeding, touching, and simply existing in their company in ways that feel genuine rather than staged. For families, couples, and solo travelers alike, an afternoon here tends to linger in the memory long after the drive home.

Highlights

The park's signature experience is its vast walk-through zones where capybaras, meerkats, giant tortoises, and a remarkable variety of birds move freely around visiting guests. The capybara hot spring area — where these famously relaxed South American mammals soak in outdoor baths during winter — has become one of the park's most beloved attractions, combining the absurd with the oddly therapeutic. Watching a capybara serenely ignoring the chaos of excited visitors while submerged to its shoulders in warm water is a uniquely Japanese animal park experience.

The barn and farm zones connect visitors with more familiar domestic animals — goats, sheep, alpacas, and miniature horses — through feeding and grooming activities that are particularly well-suited to young children. The sheep herding demonstrations, conducted by trained border collies moving with extraordinary precision and intelligence, draw appreciative crowds several times daily. These moments of witnessing genuine animal skill rather than learned tricks give the park an authentic, farm-world quality.

The highland setting itself adds to the park's appeal. On clear days, Mt. Nasu rises dramatically behind the meadows, and the clean mountain air carries the scent of grass and pine. The cooler temperatures at elevation make summer visits particularly comfortable, and the autumn foliage that sweeps across the surrounding highlands in October and November provides a beautiful seasonal backdrop.

Getting There & Tips

- From Nasu-Shiobara Station (JR Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo, approx. 80 minutes), take a direct bus or taxi to the park - Entry fee is approximately ¥1,800 for adults and ¥900 for children - Allow a full day — the park is large and the animal interaction zones reward unhurried exploration - Animal feeding pellets are available for purchase throughout the park - The park has multiple dining options including a highland barbecue area

Best Time to Visit

Summer (July to August) is ideal thanks to the cool highland temperatures that make outdoor exploration comfortable even on hot days, and the capybara outdoor areas are fully active. Winter brings the famous capybara hot spring baths (December to March), a spectacle unique to Japanese animal parks. Spring and autumn offer mild temperatures and the added beauty of seasonal flowers and foliage in the surrounding mountain landscape.