Pony photos at zoos for the New Year

We are only days away from 2026. The zodiac animal of 2026 is the horse. In other words, 2026 is the year of the horse. Every year, zoos around Japan set up zodiac theme photo spots in the month of December. Usually they are available until mid January. Apart from photo sops, they usually also offer an opportunity to get a photo with the zodiac animal in question.

Obviously, in the year of the dragon, the photo spots do not involve an actual animal! But in every other year, they generally offer an opportunity to get a photo with the zodiac animal of the following year. So, this December, you will find there are several zoos around Japan that have an event where you can get a photo with a horse. Even if they don't, most zoos that have horses offer a pony riding experience. So you can get a photo of your child, or yourself, on a pony for the year of the horse! 

Have you ever participated in an event like this? Do you use such photos for your New Year Cards? The New Year Card post deadline is drawing close, but there is still a bit of time to get to a zoo, get a photo with a horse or pony and create a beautiful, personalized horse themed New Year card for 2026!