Japan Monkey Park, Inuyama

Nov 17, 2015

Japan Monkey Park, Inuyama

There are many great draws to the historic city of Inuyama in northern Aichi Prefecture, but none are perhaps so eclectic as the Japan Monkey Park. Set upon a luscious hillside overlooking the Kiso River, the Japan Monkey Park is a combined amusement park and zoological garden created to celebrate and preserve, that’s right, you guessed it, monkeys!

Japan Monkey Center

The Japan Monkey Center is a zoological garden dedicated to primates from all over the world. It holds around 1,000 primates from 100 species within its 250,000m² grounds. Thanks to this vast expansive space, the animals can live in a relatively free environment in enclosures that broadly reflect their natural habitats.

There is also a visitor and educational center at which you and your family can learn about how the monkeys live before going on to see the various enclosures of Gibbon Inland, Spider Monkey Inland, Squirrel Monkey Inland as well as troop of Japanese Yaku valley Monkeys. Be warned that some of the monkeys are given quite a lot of freedom and that there is a ‘drop zone’ over which some primates such as the spider monkeys traverse a specially created wooden bridge. A lot of fun to watch, but there are inherent dangers within!

Japan Monkey Park

After watching the jungle VIPs going about their daily life, it could be time for you and your own little monkeys to start monkeying about, which is where the Japan Monkey Park amusement park comes in. Here there are over 35 attractions and rides for your to enjoy.

Most of the attractions are catered towards younger children such as tea cup rides and rides emblazoned with Anpanman and Thomas The Tank Engine, however there are attractions for older children (and those of us who are still kids heart) such as the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel and the Canyon Splash. In the summer months the pool is particularly popular (i.e. crowded), and all year round there are plenty of shops and restaurants to choose from.

Japan Monkey Park Details

• When: Open weekdays 10:00 – 17:00, weekends & holidays 09:30 – 17:00. School summer holidays open 09:30 – 18:00. Hours vary by season, so see website for confirmation.
• How much: Park admission: Adults 1600 JPY, children (aged 2+) 800 JPY; Single rides cost between 200 and 500 Yen. Day passes are available for Adults 3900 JPY, elementary school students 3200 JPY, children (aged 2 and below elementary school age) 2400 JPY.
• Website:  www.japan-monkeypark.jp  and www.j-monkey.jp (both Japanese)

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Other Things to do in Inuyama

Inuyama isn’t just about monkeys, and there is plenty to see in this historical city.

• Inuyama Castle is considered to be the oldest in Japan and is only one of four castles in the country to be deemed as national treasures. Check out the JIS info on Inuyama Castle (amongst other castles in Aichi) here.
• Cormorant fishing, or ‘ukai’, is a tradition that has been held in Inuyama going back some 1300 years. See the JIS info on ukai in Inuyama here.
• Inuyama Festival is one of the most vibrant and eclectic in Aichi and is a great place to see 17th century Karakuri robots. Read JIS’s info on Inuyama Matsuri here.
• Inuyama, and the Kiso river is one of the best spots for seeing the cherry blossoms of ‘hanami‘ in spring, and also for seeing the red and golden leaves of ‘koyo‘ in fall. Find JIS info on Inuyama hanami here, and koyo here.

 

Mark Guthrie

Photo: flickr.com "Couple" by masaru minoya (CC BY-SA 2.0) -Modified
Photo: flickr.com "20080628-009 Monkey Park" by Foto Captor (CC BY-SA 2.0) -Modified
Photo: flickr.com "P1050579" by Yusuke Kawasaki (CC BY-SA 2.0) -Modified