Rainy season ideas: ⑯ interact with animals

This is the 16th post in a series with suggestions of things you can do in Japan during the rainy season. Some of the ideas are ways to embrace the rainy weather, some of them are ideas to escape the rain. This post includes both, but I focus on indoor areas. There are many ways to interact with animals in Japan, at anytime of the year. Don't let rainy season put you off spending time with animals...

1. Zoo
2. Private zoo
3. Indoor petting zoo
4. Animal cafes
5. Farms

1. Zoo

If you don't mind the rain, rainy season is a good time to visit a zoo because it will be less busy. Moreover, most of the large zoos have some indoor areas. 

2. Private zoo

There are some private zoos in Japan. In my prefecture there is a lovely one in Kawagoe; Bamboo Palm. Its 80% indoors. You can feed or hold some of the animals here. You usually need to book in advance for a visit to these type of private zoos. The featured image is from Bamboo Palm 

3. Indoor petting zoo

Indoor petting zoos are on the rise. There is a nice one in Ageo called Ikimono Tankentai You pay a flat entrance fee and can hold some of the animals, such as guinea pigs, hedgehogs, snakes and birds. But you have to follow the many rules of the facility for the safety of the animals.

4. Animal cafes

It started with cat cafes, but now there are many choices of animal cafes. Such as chinchilla, rabbits, owls and dogs, to name but a few. There has been much debate on the ethics of such facilities. But some of them double as rescue shelters and find homes for rescued animals. This I can get behind.

5. Farms

Farms are probably the least suited to a rainy day, because they are often mucky! But some farms offer experiences that are indoors, such as butter making or milking the cows. 

Have you been to any of these type of places in Japan? What did you think?

All the places listed in this post have a review on City-cost. Use the search function to find them.