Opening Times
● 9:00～17:00
Last entry at 16:30
Some animals may not be viewable after 16:00
Closed
● 12/29～1/1
Entrance fees
| Single | Group(>20 people) | One-year passport | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (high school and above) |
¥500 | ¥400 | ¥1000 |
| Students (elementary/middle) |
¥100 | ¥80 | ¥200 |
※Pre-school children are free. Fee discounts/exemptions also apply to senior citizens over 70 and special needs persons.[※] Please enquire for details. [※] Of Kagoshima City, Kumamoto City and Fukuoka City
Parking fees
・Large vehicles and buses: ¥400
・Other vehicles: ¥200
Play equipment fees
・1 use, ¥20～¥100
Other services
| Pram | With top, 30 avail | 1 use, ¥300 |
|---|---|---|
| Without top, 52 avail | 1 use, ¥200 | |
| Coin lockers (by entrance gate) |
W 42cm x H50cm x D 42cm (12 avail) | 1 use, ¥200 |
| Umbrellas (rental) | 60 cm long (200 avail) | 1 use, ¥100 |
| Hand-push wheelchair | 10 avail | Free |
※Pre-school children are free. Fee discounts/exemptions also apply to senior citizens over 70 and special needs persons.[※] Please enquire for details. [※] Of Kagoshima City, Kumamoto City and Fukuoka City
Access via public transport
Please see separate public transport access map
- By car
Kyushu Expressway Kagoshima I.C → Ibusuki Skyline Taniyama I.C → Prefectural Road No. 219 → National Road No. 225 → National Road No. 226 → Hirakawa Zoo (approx. 15mins from Taniyama I.C)
Time taken from main spots（by car）:●Taniyama I.C → approx. 15mins
●Kagoshima Chuo Station → approx. 35mins
●Tenmonkan → approx. 40mins
●Kagoshima Aquarium → approx. 40mins
●Kagoshima Airport → approx. 75mins - JR
Kagoshima Chuo Station → Goino Station（25mins on the Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line）
Goino Station → Hirakawa Zoo (20mins walk） - Bus（Kagoshima Kotsu No. 2: every 20 mins, journey 60 mins）
Kagoshima Station (Aquarium)→Tenmonkan→Takamibaba→Korimoto→Taniyama Station →Goino Station→Hirakawa Zoo
Zoo map
See separate sheet
Introduction to Hirakawa Zoo
・Facilities Guide
As you enter the main gate, a magnificent panorama of an African Savannah of giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, ostriches before a backdrop of Sakurajima and Kinko Bay spreads out before your eyes. You can also gaze upon the animals and Sakurajima while soaking your feet in the footspa within, experiencing its healing and relaxing properties in Kagoshima Southern spirit.
・Facilities Outline
Hirakawa Zoo was opened on the 14th October 1972, and is a zoo with abundant greenery spanning a total area of 31.4 hectares. There are over 1000 animals of 140 species being raised in the zoo. One of most prominent koala-raising zoos in Japan, it is also home to popular animals such as the Indian elephant, polar bear and red panda, and boasts a 1,900m2 flying cage which houses 15 breeds of colourful, beautiful, free-flying birds.
Other highlights include the Cｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ’s Zoo, where one can touch rabbits and other animals, and playground with a 40m high Ferris wheel, spinning tower and Go-carts. This is a zoo within nature to “have fun learning, have fun playing”.
Renewal of Hirakawa Zoo
Aiming to be “a zoo kind to both people and animals” and “a zoo which exhibits the character of Kagoshima of the South”, Hirakawa Zoo is currently undergoing renovations until 2015. The renewal aims to improve ease of use for visitors and the atmosphere of Kagoshima within the zoo, while creating a place where the animals can live with vitality, This is in addition to providing an environment for one to learn and think about animals.
Animal population: 141 species, 967animals
| Mammals | Birds | Reptiles | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of species | 83 | 44 | 14 | 141 |
| Population | 538 | 399 | 30 | 967 |
※As of March ,2015
History Timeline of Hirakawa Zoo
| September 1916 | Kagoshima Electric Rail (KK) opens “Kamoike Zoo” within Kamoike Amusement Park. |
|---|---|
| July 1928 | Kagoshima City buys Kamoike Amusement Park |
| October 1972 | Kagoshima City Hirakawa Zoo opens |
| October 1984 | 2 male koalas arrive from Australia |
| July 1988 | Red panda arrives from Changsha, China |
| March 1991 | Cｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ’s Zoo opens |
| August 1994 | 1st “Night Zoo Tour” held |
| March 1996 | New main gate completed |
| March 2007 | Hirakawa Zoo Renovation Basic Plan settled |
| October 2007 | 20 million visitors hit |
| May 2009 | Hirakawa Zoo Renewal Project construction begins |
| March 2010 | Opening of the African Savannah Zone |
