Okinawa Zoo - Petting Zoo and Pond

January weather is interesting here in Okinawa.  It was supposed to rain and the clouds were dark and ominous.  We decided to go to the zoo anyways.  Why not?  The Wonder Museum is indoors and it's supposed to be fantastic.  So that was our back-up plan.

Well, we got there and the skies cleared up.  Turned out to be a beautiful day.  We decided to buy a year pass this time.  I was told it pays for itself after 4 visits.  That's wrong.  It's the price of 4 visits to the zoo portion but comes with 5 tickets to the Wonder Museum.  So it's really inexpensive.

O is in that toddler stage where ramps and rocks are the big things in life.  So she spent most of our trip ignoring the animals and going up and down anything ramp shaped and trying to free any rocks that were trapped in crevices or drains.  Sigh...

However, we had two notable stops in the zoo this time: the Petting Zoo and the Pond.

At the top of the giant elevator I mentioned last time, there is a free, small petting zoo just off to the right.  One of the elephants was there to greet us on our way in. Inside, they have a long sink with soap for you to wash your hands before and after touching the animals.  It doesn't have a hot water option and it was chilly the day we went, so our hands were a little icy.  I think the animals thought so as well cause they jumped every time we tried to touch them.

Their was a table full of guinea pigs and some benches with towels next to it.  This way you could sit and hold the guinea pigs without worrying about them pooping or peeing on you.  O wasn't entirely sure about these little guys because of the way they darted around on the table.  But once she sat with one for a few minutes she liked them and was even trying to give them a hug.

They also had some fluffy bunnies to pet but not hold and a goat who really likes to sniff you.  O's favorite though were the baby chicks.  She loved that they were small and fluffy and made cute little noises.  She was also allowed to hold them by their stubby little legs.  She really didn't want to have to put hers back in the box and leave.

Instead of heading back towards the amusement area, we decided to meander down the hill.  At the bottom is a large pond with a walkway going clear across it.  There are vending machines at either end to buy fish food.  We bought a box for 100 yen.

When we got to the middle of the pond, we started feeding the fish and birds around.  Before long we had a ton of both practically begging for food.  A Japanese family came to watch and O shared some of her fish food with their little boy.  I was kinda sad when the box became empty cause O was trying to feed the ducks by hand.  Laying on the dock with her fists shoved through the bars as far as she could and dropping the food into the water.  It was super cute.

By the time we got back to the top of the hill, the zoo was about to close.  We stopped in the gift shop to search for something to eat since the snack stand wasn't open.  Luckily, they do sell some "fresh" made snacks and also an assortment of bagged snacks and candies in there.  We decided to try one of the hot bread rolls.  They were stuffed with different things: Pizza, Curry, Soy Beans, and Cheese.  We decided to try the curry bun.  OMG sooo good!  Sweet bread with slightly spiced curry = YUM!

We ate our curry bun on a bench in the parking lot while we waited for daddy to come pick us up.  :)

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Okinawa Zoo

Okinawa Zoo

Our first time to the Okinawa Zoo, I took a new friend along with me and O.  Even with directions from OkinawaHai, we ended up driving in circles.  So I'm telling you now, these are the directions you need:  Go out Kadena Gate 2 and continue going straight until you see the sign for the zoo.  Follow the sign.  It's one right turn and the zoo is on your left.  SUPER EASY!  Can you tell I get lost a lot?

Anyways, go down the stairs/elevator to purchase tickets for the zoo (500 yen per adult).  They also have a museum, rides area, and a petting zoo.  We got there later in the day so we didn't check those out, but it's my understanding that they're extra but not that expensive.

The actual zoo is half on top of this giant hill and half at the bottom... basically.  But we did discover that they do have a giant elevator that can take you from the rides section to the lower portion of the zoo.  Supposedly there's one to the upper portion too, but I didn't see it.  Or maybe I just didn't understand.  Well, we walked up and down the steep hill anyways.


It was worth the climb though, cause the bat exhibit was awesome.  I had no idea that bats were that lively during the day.  And O could get close enough to really watch them.  And next to the bats were the monkeys, which she also thoroughly enjoyed.  I think she wouldn't have minded if all there was to the zoo were bats and monkeys!

Among other things we saw were: Giant Anteaters, Big Cats, Ostriches, Giraffes, the Reptile House and Elephants.

Olivia only got scared twice while we were there.  (Although I have to admit I enjoyed her running to me for a hug and latching onto my leg.)  The first time, a kid was doing inappropriate things to a monkey and it started making noises like I've never heard before.  It was kinda cool actually and effective because the kid stopped.  The other was the elephant making strange calling noises and stamping his enormous feet.  If I were a pint-sized peanut, I'd be scared too!

All in all, the zoo was an A+ in our book.  We might even get a season pass and come here more often.  After all, it was enjoyable and isn't located to far away.

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Okinawa Zoo - Petting Zoo and Pond