Kobe Oji Zoo
神戸市立王子動物園
Kobe’s long-established municipal zoo, with about 120 species including koalas and Asian elephants. Admission is cheap, and it opens at night during cherry blossom season.
Oji Zoo opened in 1951 and is home to about 120 species and more than 700 animals. Popular residents include the koalas, hippos, Asian elephants and polar bears. The zoo also has a small amusement park and the national Important Cultural Property “Former Hunter House,” a Meiji-era residence built for a British resident, which opens seasonally. Adult admission costs about ¥600, and junior high school students and younger enter free, making it good for families. The zoo has about 300 cherry trees, and its “Night Sakura Passage” offers free night access in early April. It is closed on Wednesdays, but open on public holidays. It is about a 3-minute walk from Hankyu Oji Koen Station, just two stops from Sannomiya.
Opening hours
09:00–17:00 (Nov–Feb until 16:30), closed Wednesdays
Nearby sights
- Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
- Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
- Mount Maya Kikuseidai
- Nunobiki Falls
- Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway
- Kitano Ijinkan
- Ikuta Shrine
- Kobe Former Foreign Settlement