Japan in Motion---Pro-web casting from across Japan.

Home >> Japan Quest >> Sankeien Garden & Zoorasia

Sankeien Garden & Zoorasia

■Yokohama Sankeien Garden

sankeien1

A wealthy silk trader named Tomitaro Hara built Yokohama’s beautiful Sankeien Garden in 1906. Slightly eccentric but very public-minded, Hara took the pen name Sankei, later bestowed on this garden. In his later years, he invited first young artists and later the general public into his garden, and devoted himself to the support of the arts. After heavy damage incurred in the war, ownership of the garden was transferred from the Hara family to Yokohama city, and extensive restoration work was begun in 1953.

sankeien2

In addition to a stunning collection of flowering trees and plants that make the garden a joy in every season, Hara gathered historic buildings from across Japan and restored them on the garden grounds. Ten of these have been designated as Important Cultural Properties by the government, including the Kanto region’s oldest pagoda, a three story structure built in 1457, villas and temple buildings, and a superb assortment of tea houses.

Be sure to stop by the garden for a short break from the noise and activity of the city. Sankeien has something to offer every visitor, at any time of year.

>>Access
58-1 Honmoku Sannotani, Naka-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa

Negishi station====(10 min. by city bus No. 58, 99, 101)====Honmaki bus stop====(7 min. on foot)====Sankeien

Sakuragi-cho station====(25 min. by city bus No. 8, 148)====Honmaki Sankeien-Mae bus stop====(3 min. on foot)====Sankeien

Yokohama station====(33 min. by city bus No. 8, 148)====Honmaki Sankeien-Mae bus stop====(3 min. on foot)====Sankeien

>>Hours
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

>>Holidays
December 29th -31st

>>Fee
Adult (over junior high school student): 500 yen
Senior (over 65 years old): 300 yen
Child (elementary school student): 200 yen

>>Website
Yokohama Sankeien Garden (English, Chinese, Korean)

■Yokohama Zoorasia

This new zoo, opened in 1999, is widely considered one of the most beautiful in the world. There are about 60 species on display here, including the extremely rare okapi, a member of the giraffe family that serves as an unofficial mascot for the zoo. Zoorasia was the first zoo in Japan to successfully breed this animal in activity, an important accomplishment for an animal with a worldwide population of as few as 140 individuals. Other unusual animals include polar bears, tapirs and the giant anteater.

The exhibits here are very well designed, reflecting the latest developments in habitat recreation. Binoculars are available at the gate to help visitors see some of the more elusive of the zoo’s denizens, and you can spend a very pleasant few hours strolling through various habitat zones devoted to the Central Asian highlands, the Amazon, sub-arctic forest and more. Bring a lunch, too. There are plenty of green spaces and picnic areas where you can rest as you pass between zones.

>>Access
1175-1 Kamishirane-cho, Asahi-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa

JR Nakayama station (Yokohama line)====(15 min. by bus bound for Yokohama Zoorasia)====Yokohama Zoorasia

>>Hours
9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

>>Holidays
December 29th - January 1st
Tuesday (Open if national holiday falls on Tuesday and close on the next day)

>>Fee
Adult (over 18 years old): 600 yen
High school student: 300 yen
Child (elementary/junior high school student): 200 yen
Under elementary school student: free

>>Website
Yokohama Zoorasia (English, Chinese, Korean)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

-Matt Mangham

>>Hotels and Ryokans in Yokohama