Today we are at Fuji Safari Park in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
We arrived before the gates opened and waited in the car in high spirits.
The park opens at 10:00 a.m.
More cars arrived one after another, and we became somewhat nervous.
Then when the gates opened at 10:00 a.m,all the cars started rushing in.
After paying the entrance fee at the entrance gate, it’s finally time to enter the park.
The parking lot is inside the park, about a 50-meter drive in. Parking is free and there are up to 1,400 parking spaces available.
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Fuji Safari Park Tour
Fuji Safari Park opened in 1980, and the site area is said to be as large as 16 Tokyo Domes! It is home to over 900 animals of more than 70 species.
There are three main ways to enjoy the animals in the park.
(1) Drive around in your own car.
(2) Drive around in the Safari Navigation Car.
(3) Drive around in the Jungle Bus.
Other tour options are also available, but today, we decided to join the “Jungle Bus Tour,” which is the easiest tour to join and offers the most exciting experience.
We parked our car and headed to the Jungle Bus Tour Ticket Office!
Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the Information Desk located next to the parking lot at the end of the toll gates.
The monitor on the ticket vending machine shows the availability of the bus tours, so be sure to check it before buying the tickets.
The Jungle Bus Tour and Super Jungle Bus Tour
There are two types of jungle bus tours, the regular Jungle Bus Tour and the Super Jungle Bus Tour.
The differences between the two are how the buses are decorated and the way the animals are fed.
The hood and coloring of the bus for the Jungle Bus Tour are decorated in the style of a tiger, rhino and hippopotamus.
The animals are fed from the side of the bus.
Meanwhile, the Super Jungle Bus has a bit more subdued decoration, with a black and white camouflage pattern.
However, this one feels a bit more “professional”.
The animals can be fed from anywhere above and both sides of the bus.
I guess this is what makes it “Super” 😁.
Feeding the bears at Fuji Safari Park
We’re finally ready to take off in the Super Jungle Bus!!
Passengers board from the back of the bus and the wire mesh doors are closed.
First up is the American black bear, which is said to be the bear that served as the model for the Teddy bear.
They look scary but cute. Terrifying yet cuddly!!
When the bait is pushed up toward the ceilling, the bears have no trouble climbing up the bus and taking it.
You can even smell the bear’s breath through the wire mesh ceiling and sides of the bus.
Looks like the bears forgot to brush their teeth this morning!
Part of the ceiling is covered with acrylic panels on the wire mesh, which is said to be an “anti-drooling” measure for the bears.
But still, please beware of the “bear droll” when feeding them from the ceiling.
Feeding the lions at Fuji Safari Park
We’ve been waiting for this moment! It’s finally time to feed the lions. We’ll be feeding them chicken wings…
When the bait is thrust out from the side of the bus, a lion with big fangs tilts its head and bites at it a close range of 30 cm from my face.
Crunch, crunch, crunch… You can hear the sound of the bones cracking.
Wow… This is awesome. Everyone from men and women, young and old, are very excited.
Besides the bears and lions, you can also feed the camels and giraffes…
Other animals that you can see at the park include tigers, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, zebras, etc.
There are over 900 animals of more than 70 species, so various animals appear one after another.
The bus tour guides are very good talkers.
They will tell you about lots of animal trivia, such as “the American bison’s large shoulders are very muscular to support its large head” and “the branched antlers are deer antlers, and unbranched horns are bull horns.”
Fuji Safari Park’s “Petting Zone”
Fuji Safari Park is divided into two major zones.
One is the “Safari Zone,” where you can ride around in a bus or car and see carnivorous and herbivorous animals.
The other is the “Petting Zone” (“Fureai zone”) , where you can interact with the animals.
After experiencing the Jungle Bus Tour, our next stop is to look around the “Fureai Zone”.
There are porcupines, kangaroos, capybaras, alpacas, squirrel monkeys, guinea pigs…These cute little animals will comfort you.
Enjoy them with your family or with your partner ^^.
Fuji Safari Park “Safari Derby”
A derby is held only on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and Mondays at the “Fureai Ranch” located within the Fureai Zone at Fuji Safari Park. This is a must-see event!
A group of American Miniature Horses, a breed of horses that are smaller than ponies, can be seen running around with all their might.
They’re very cute with big heads and eyes, and are about the size of a large dog.
These cute horses are very energetic and run around at full speed.
When you see the horses running as fast as they can, you can’t help but think, where does all that power come from?”
As they round the corners, their bodies lean in and tilt at an angle while their tails and mains flutter in the wind.
Watching these adorable horses run at full speed to get to the finish line is a must-see event!
We highly recommend adjusting your time and watching them in action.
The official website says that the event starts at 12:30 p.m., but I recommend you heading to the “Fureai Ranch” at around 12:00 p.m and purchasing a ticket (100 yen/ticket) to “bet” on the winner of the horse derby.
If you bet on the winning horse, you might receive an original present!
Fuji Safari Park bakery
There is even a bakery at Fuji Safari Park.
This bakery has all of their breads with animal motifs!
Although it is a bit awkward to take a bite out of these cute animals…
Part of the bakery is a workshop where visitors can experience baking their own bread!
What an scrarily impressive bakery at Fuji Safari Park!
Fuji Safari Park “Safari Shop”
And after enjoying Fuji Safari Park, don’t forget to pick up some souvenirs!
You can find a variety of souvenirs including original goods.
There are snacks, toys, stuffed animals… After looking around, I wanted to buy everything!
So, how did you enjoy our Fuji Safari Park experience?
There are still many other attractions in the vast area, so it is impossible to introduce them all at once.
There were a lot of things that we didn’t see or missed, such as the “Rabbit House” and “Cat House”.
Rabbit and cat lovers will love those place, where you can actually play with rabbits and cats.
When people think of Fuji Safari Park, they tend to focus only on the “Safari Zone,” but some other think “Fureai Zone” may be the best part of Fuji Safari Park.
Thank you for reading to the end.
We hope you come and visit Fuji Safari Park!
