Eastern Area
75th Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Spring Festival
Say hello to spring!
Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens and Higashiyama Sky Tower bring to you a sensational Spring Festival. Be a part of a walkathon around the world, listen to explanations on animals by their caretakers, and a myriad of other events available mainly on weekends and national holidays. The Cherry Blossom Tunnel located in the botanical gardens too offers a spectacle with 1,000 cherry trees of some 100 varieties.
Plus, from Saturday, April 5, the Evening Yae Cherry Blossom Walk 2025 (Japanese) light display is planned to take place, so don't be a stranger!
Plus, from Saturday, April 5, the Evening Yae Cherry Blossom Walk 2025 (Japanese) light display is planned to take place, so don't be a stranger!
Botanical gardens events (partial)
Walkathon around the world
During the Spring Festival, you can walk to and take quizzes at five different points presenting animals and plants from various countries around the world for a gift.
• Time: Quiz sheet handed out at each gate, 9:00 am–3:00 pm
• Gift exchange: Available until 4:30 pm at the Main Gate and Shokubutsu-en Gate
Walk with the zoo director
The zoo director offers a guided tour to recommended spots.
• Date and time: From 10:30 am; Sun, Apr 20, 2025 (canceled should rainy weather occur)
• Gathering point: In front of the Main Gate fountain
Animal explanations
Learn about the appealing points of animals from their caretakers.
• Dates: Weekends and national holidays during the Spring Festival event period (excludes Apr 26–May 6, 2025 for the Golden Week holiday)
• Gathering point: Outside each animal enclosure
During the Spring Festival, you can walk to and take quizzes at five different points presenting animals and plants from various countries around the world for a gift.
• Time: Quiz sheet handed out at each gate, 9:00 am–3:00 pm
• Gift exchange: Available until 4:30 pm at the Main Gate and Shokubutsu-en Gate
Walk with the zoo director
The zoo director offers a guided tour to recommended spots.
• Date and time: From 10:30 am; Sun, Apr 20, 2025 (canceled should rainy weather occur)
• Gathering point: In front of the Main Gate fountain
Animal explanations
Learn about the appealing points of animals from their caretakers.
• Dates: Weekends and national holidays during the Spring Festival event period (excludes Apr 26–May 6, 2025 for the Golden Week holiday)
• Gathering point: Outside each animal enclosure
Botanical gardens events (partial)
Botanical Gardens Cherry Blossom Tunnel Festival
One thousand cherry trees of approximately 100 varieties meet their peak blossoming periods before your eyes. Early-blooming Kawazu cherry trees and weeping varieties create a tunnel of color with pedals falling to the ground, creating a pink carpet. Enjoy different varieties as they bloom at different points in the season, like the vivid colors of Yae cherry trees and the unusual green flowers of Gyoiko cherry trees.
• Period: Sat, Mar 15–Sun, Apr 13, 2025
• Location: Cherry Blossom Tunnel in the Hoshigaoka area, etc.
Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens
- A "forest where you can meet the animals of the world" surrounded by nature in the middle of a city
There are tons of popular animals at this zoo! From tiny medaka fish to huge elephants, it is home to the largest number of animals in Japan. Come and see the wide variety of animals.
There are many facilities, including the gorilla and chimpanzee house—home to famously handsome gorilla Shabani—the Asian elephant house, and the koala house. Here, you can not only watch the animals, but also learn about their ecologies and habitats through educational displays, so you can learn while having fun.
Including the greenhouse and the natural woods on the hillsides, the botanical garden is home to around 7,000 species of plants. The cherry blossom pathway has around 1,000 cherry trees of about 100 different species, which all bloom in the spring. In the fall, around 500 trees—mainly surrounding the back pond and Japanese-style garden—burst into color and become one of the city's best fall foliage spots. Besides that, there is a camellia garden, rose garden, field of flowers, and more landscapes that can be enjoyed in different seasons.
Higashiyama Sky Tower
- Higashiyama Sky Tower stands right next-door to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and was built in 1988 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Nagoya City. The building is 134 meters tall, but because it stands on an 80-meter tall hill, its observation deck is at a total height of over 200 meters. On clear days, you can see as far as Mt. Ontake, the Suzuka mountains, and the Japanese Alps, and at night there's a romantic night view you can gaze at over dinner that has been selected as a Night View Heritage of Japan and one of Japan's 100 best night views.
Details
| Schedule | Sat, Mar 15–Tue, May 6 (holiday), 2025 |
|---|---|
| Regular Holiday | Mon (the following weekday should Mon coincide with a national or other holiday) |
| Time | • Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens: 9:00 am–4:50 pm (admission until 4:30 pm) • Higashiyama Sky Tower: 9:00 am–9:30 pm (admission until 9:00 pm) |
| Venue | Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens and Higashiyama Sky Tower |
| Cost | Requires a fee (admission fee) |
| Price Details | Admission fees JPY 500 for adults (high school ages and older), etc. |
| Contact | Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens |
| Home Page | https://www.higashiyama.city.nagoya.jp/english/ |
| Access | Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens • 3-min. walk from Exit 3 of Higashiyama Koen Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line. • 7-min. walk from Exit 6 of Hoshigaoka Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line. Note: • Hoshigaoka Station is close to the botanical gardens. Higashiyama Sky Tower • Approx. 15-min. walk (toward Hoshigaoka Terrace) from Exit 6 of Hoshigaoka Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line. Near the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Sky Tower Gate. Note: • Please come by public transportation. |
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