Machida Squirrel Park (まちだリス園)

Machida Squirrel Park

Around 20 minutes by bus from Machida station you need to go to the Machida Squirrel Park or Machida Risuen (まちだリス園). It’s a bit far, but if you like the cute little animals, you should really take a look there. The park already opened in December 1988 and includes around 200 squirrels. Inside the park you can see and feed them. You can buy some corns for the squirrels inside the park for 100 yen each. You also will get a glove so the little rodents don’t bite your fingers. They have cute little houses where the squirrels can hide, but don’t worry, they come out if you show them food. Before entering the squirrel park, you first have to walk through a small petting zoo. There they have rabbits, turtles, hamsters and a few parrots. For sure you can feed these animals, too, and there is a special petting area for rabbits. However, this costs extra money. For me, the area for the hamsters was too small for all the animals and pretty dirty… The entry fee is ¥ 400 for adults. Elementary school children need to pay ¥ 200, children up to two years are free of charge. The park is opened from 10am to 4pm, from April to September it is prolonged until 5pm. Closing days are every Tuesday (if it is a public Holiday the next day will be closed), Tuesday until Friday at the first week of June, September and December plus 27th December to 2nd January. Official website: http://www.machida-risuen.com/