Fuji Safari Park
Fuji Safari Park
4
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Full view
About
Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Features animals
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.0
492 reviews
Excellent
191
Very good
232
Average
48
Poor
12
Terrible
9
renen05
Yokohama, Japan50 contributions
May 2021
Actually, it is our 2nd time to visit the park. My kids enjoyed riding the bus wherein it will go to the safari and you can see the animals roaming around like the lions. You can feed them from inside the bus with the use of thongs and pass the meat/vegetables through the steel windows. There are lots of attraction, such as touch and holding of small mammals. there are also horse back riding. Souvenir shops offered a big variety of items from food, to toys. Restaurant also offered good food such as the ramen. It is easy to reach the place, just 1 bus ride from Mishima station. Put your most comfortable shoes as it requires lot of walking.
Written May 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BreadTraveler
20 contributions
Mar 2018
We caught the shinkansen from Shinagawa to Mishima and then a local train from Mishima to Numazu and from Numazu to Gotemba (all covered by our JR rail pass). At Gotemba Station, we purchased our tickets for the bus to the park as well as the park admission (3300 yen per adult). The bus ride took about 30 min. As of March 2018, the bus leaves Gotemba for the Safari Park at 8:30 am, 9:00, 10:50, 12:40, 1:30 pm, and 2:55. Once we got to the park, we purchased our tickets for the safari bus (which is an additional 1300 yen per adult) as we read other reviews stating that it usually sells out. Bring cash as they don’t accept credit cards for the admisson. The gift shop, on the otherhand, accepts credit cards. It was a cold and rainy day, so we didn't have to wait and got right on the bus after buying our tickets. The tour guide gave each family 3 types of food (one for the lions, one for the camels/llamas, and one for the bears). In total, the bus tour lasted about an hour. After the tour, we made some anima-shaped bread (for 500 yen) (which was delicious), spent some time in the House of Dogs (500 yen admission), and saw the capybara. Since it was raining, we didn’t get a chance to experience the petting zoo or much else. The local bus back to Gotemba Station doesn’t come very often, so plan accordingly. As of March 2018, the bus leaves the safari park for Gotemba Station at 10:53 am, 11:58, 1:48 pm, 3:08, 4:43, and 6:03. Overall, the kids (and adults) really enjoyed feeding the animals on the bus tour and stated it was one of their top 3 experiences on our Japan trip!
Written March 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sweetie_inc
Singapore, Singapore173 contributions
May 2018 • Family
The bus timetable from Gotemba Station to the Fuji Safari Park is not readily available so it makes my planning there haywire. We wasted 1.5hrs at the Gotemba Station waiting for the next bus. They should have the bus timetable updated in the website. Refer to my pic for the schedule.
My daughter and I were looking forward to the park for months only to be spoilt by the rain. When it rains, there isnt much to do except to ride in the jungle bus.
Note that many advise to do the self drive option, but u are NOT ALLOWED to drive the navigation car if u DO NOT SPEAK/UNDERSTAND japanese. Ensure that you have an international license cert with you. However if u rent a car outside (Eg. from Gotemba station area) then u are allowed to drive in. I have no idea what are the difference. So we were crushed when we could do the self drive option.
Due to the rain, we only managed to get onto the jungle bus and spent time in the house of cats and rabbits. Even the animals around the walking safari route were kept away. So basically we didnt get to see much animals. Ultimate disappointment.
My daughter and I were looking forward to the park for months only to be spoilt by the rain. When it rains, there isnt much to do except to ride in the jungle bus.
Note that many advise to do the self drive option, but u are NOT ALLOWED to drive the navigation car if u DO NOT SPEAK/UNDERSTAND japanese. Ensure that you have an international license cert with you. However if u rent a car outside (Eg. from Gotemba station area) then u are allowed to drive in. I have no idea what are the difference. So we were crushed when we could do the self drive option.
Due to the rain, we only managed to get onto the jungle bus and spent time in the house of cats and rabbits. Even the animals around the walking safari route were kept away. So basically we didnt get to see much animals. Ultimate disappointment.
Written May 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chudds32
2 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
Treat the animals as you would want to be treated . Was on the perimeter with my wife and witnessed staff using sticks to move the giraffes off the road . Beating the giraffe's violently on the back of their legs . There were no customers and cars inside the area at the time , so , I imagine they thought they were safe . obviously a shock to see me on the other side of the fence looking in . Shocking behaviour . But , no surprise when it's just a big business , there to make money .
Written August 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
m s
Florida City, FL21 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
I am not someone who hates all zoos. In fact there is a great zoo in Tama. SOme zoos do good work. However me and my children actually left this place in tears at the state of the animals. The horses were poorly kept, and a few of the minature horses looked actually underfed and very thin.
The safari exhibit is enjoyable, to see those animals right up next to your car is very exhilarating. There are too many animals of each type in each zone, so they could really have more space. The elephants as usual in a zoo get a tiny area where they cannot roam, as do the rhinos. However, it is better than a lot of places.
The lions looked doped - not one was properly awake, they were all very drowsy, even when a car passed by. The bears also looked suspiciously drowsy.
There were a few lame animals I noticed limping - goats mainly. One was dragging it's leg.
The red kangeroos in the "zoo" area...now THAT was deeply upsetting. They had a lot of kangeroos in one area, and a lot of male kangeroos in an area that was small, and of course no escape. And they were fighting. A lot of people were gathered around laughing and watching these poor kangeroos fight each other. Like they were watching the entertainment. One kangeroo was bleeding badly from the neck. Two more were injured. I tried to tell two different members of staff. One said "no problem", another just smiled and said "yes?" like neither of them thought it was a problem. And yes, I do speak Japanese.
It was heartbreaking.
Yes the safari is fun, but it is a guilty pleasure seeing these animals, most certainly the experience does not appear to be to the animals comfort, safety or benefit. You can pay 600 yen to have your photo taken with a baby lion at the moment. Yes a real life baby lion is passed from person to person for MONEY. How stressed must that poor baby be. They do two long sessions of this.
The food was nasty cafeteria style Japanese food, or stalls which did not look particularly clean. The bathrooms were verging on dirty.
I suppose it is a great day out if you don't happen to have a conscience.
The safari exhibit is enjoyable, to see those animals right up next to your car is very exhilarating. There are too many animals of each type in each zone, so they could really have more space. The elephants as usual in a zoo get a tiny area where they cannot roam, as do the rhinos. However, it is better than a lot of places.
The lions looked doped - not one was properly awake, they were all very drowsy, even when a car passed by. The bears also looked suspiciously drowsy.
There were a few lame animals I noticed limping - goats mainly. One was dragging it's leg.
The red kangeroos in the "zoo" area...now THAT was deeply upsetting. They had a lot of kangeroos in one area, and a lot of male kangeroos in an area that was small, and of course no escape. And they were fighting. A lot of people were gathered around laughing and watching these poor kangeroos fight each other. Like they were watching the entertainment. One kangeroo was bleeding badly from the neck. Two more were injured. I tried to tell two different members of staff. One said "no problem", another just smiled and said "yes?" like neither of them thought it was a problem. And yes, I do speak Japanese.
It was heartbreaking.
Yes the safari is fun, but it is a guilty pleasure seeing these animals, most certainly the experience does not appear to be to the animals comfort, safety or benefit. You can pay 600 yen to have your photo taken with a baby lion at the moment. Yes a real life baby lion is passed from person to person for MONEY. How stressed must that poor baby be. They do two long sessions of this.
The food was nasty cafeteria style Japanese food, or stalls which did not look particularly clean. The bathrooms were verging on dirty.
I suppose it is a great day out if you don't happen to have a conscience.
Written August 18, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan
5 contributions
Apr 2019
Animal abuse in small areas and no place for playing or something others. All animals lay on the bottom for the whole day. They can´t do anything because they have not enough space.
It´s only a attraction for the people.
That´s not a Safari Park it´s a animal view show. In South Africa I visit some Safari Parks and so I know what is the different.
But I will say too. The animal’s looks healthy and I think they have enough food but they are not lucky.
Please don´t visit this park....
It´s only a attraction for the people.
That´s not a Safari Park it´s a animal view show. In South Africa I visit some Safari Parks and so I know what is the different.
But I will say too. The animal’s looks healthy and I think they have enough food but they are not lucky.
Please don´t visit this park....
Written May 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HawaiiAndi
Pearl City, HI629 contributions
Feb 2017 • Friends
Wonderful experience - so worth the travel to reach here. The zoo is quite vast - lots of walking; riding the animal bus is an additional fee. Guests can purchase the Fuji Safari ticket set at the Fujikyu Ticket Office. This ticket allows entry into the zoo and roundtrip bus ride from the Gotemba station to the park. To reach the zoo by bus: 1) Go to the Gotemba Premium Outlet Mall - all the bus stops are in the same area at the Mall 2) Transfer onto the free bus to Gotemba Station 3) walk through Gotemba station to reach the Fujikyu Bus Ticket Office - purchase the ticket set at 3300 yen - office will instruct you where to catch the bus (You cannot use the Hakone Free Pass for this bus) 4) The bus will take you directly to the Safari Park - this stop is announced in English 5) Upon reaching the zoo, walk to the ticket office for entry and if interested in purchasing the safari/feed the animals bus ride (highly recommended). There are a lot of interactive activities at the zoo; you may also purchase food here too. Upon return to Gotemba station, wait at the covered stop where you were dropped off. Tip: The bus to the zoo does not run frequently; it leaves gotemba station at 0830, 0900, 1050, 1240, 1330, and 1455. Return bus to Gotemba Station leaves the zoo at 1053, 1158, 1348, 1508, 1643, 1803
Written March 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wesley A
Richardson, TX79 contributions
Sep 2019
The park itself is very interesting, pay the money to take the park bus ride and feed the bears and lions. It's a pretty short trip through the park but worth it. Note that we found nobody that works at the park that speaks English.
I would offer some warnings about getting to and from the park because most things I read made it sound simple. Do your research and make your plans carefully. We were staying in Ikebukuro, so took the train to Shinjuku Station, walked to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal and bought tickets on the highway bus. The directions from the train station to the bus terminal are very poorly marked. Once at the bus station the staff we dealt with spoke very little English. But we were able to get our tickets and were fortunately to only wait about 30 minutes for the bus to leave. The bus ride is fine, takes about 90 minutes, though makes frequent stops. However, I made a mistake and got off an exit early because the stop is Gotenba instead of Gotemba. The driver knew where we were going but let us get off anyway. Once we were there we had trouble getting directions, nothing is in English and nobody speaks English. Just by dumb luck a lady from Virginia was there catching a bus and her relative called us a cab which took us to the Gotemba station.
The buses from there to the park are on a set schedule so we waited about 90 minutes for the bus. At this point pretty much nobody speaks English, but the lady at the bus station was very helpful. Once we got to the park we had a nice time, but none of the employees speak English at all, so there was a lot of pointing at pictures and guessing about buying the right tickets. The buses back to Gotemba stop at 6:04 p.m. so make sure you at least make the last one. Once we got back to Gotemba the directions to get the bus back to Tokyo are nonexistent, and we happened to catch a bus that was about to leave. The driver wasn't happy to have to help us work out the ticket purchase.
In the end it was worth the trip, but it took pretty much all day to get there.
I would offer some warnings about getting to and from the park because most things I read made it sound simple. Do your research and make your plans carefully. We were staying in Ikebukuro, so took the train to Shinjuku Station, walked to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal and bought tickets on the highway bus. The directions from the train station to the bus terminal are very poorly marked. Once at the bus station the staff we dealt with spoke very little English. But we were able to get our tickets and were fortunately to only wait about 30 minutes for the bus to leave. The bus ride is fine, takes about 90 minutes, though makes frequent stops. However, I made a mistake and got off an exit early because the stop is Gotenba instead of Gotemba. The driver knew where we were going but let us get off anyway. Once we were there we had trouble getting directions, nothing is in English and nobody speaks English. Just by dumb luck a lady from Virginia was there catching a bus and her relative called us a cab which took us to the Gotemba station.
The buses from there to the park are on a set schedule so we waited about 90 minutes for the bus. At this point pretty much nobody speaks English, but the lady at the bus station was very helpful. Once we got to the park we had a nice time, but none of the employees speak English at all, so there was a lot of pointing at pictures and guessing about buying the right tickets. The buses back to Gotemba stop at 6:04 p.m. so make sure you at least make the last one. Once we got back to Gotemba the directions to get the bus back to Tokyo are nonexistent, and we happened to catch a bus that was about to leave. The driver wasn't happy to have to help us work out the ticket purchase.
In the end it was worth the trip, but it took pretty much all day to get there.
Written September 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AiresBucaneros
Madrid, Spain29 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
I was eager to visit the park with my kids, but we were all utterly disappointed. Nay, frustrated and saddened by what we saw. It is mucho more of a zoo than a real safari park, with animal families separated from one another (lions, then bears, then tigers…) and often caged into enclosed electrical-wired spaces.
Cheetahs take the worst, and cruellest, treat: it is dismal to see them caged and isolated into small spaces, attentively looking out to “cousins” they can not be with and craving to run or hunt.
I will never be back and would not recommend to visit this cruel place. I am even considering to launch a “free the cheetahs at Fuji” campaign.
Cheetahs take the worst, and cruellest, treat: it is dismal to see them caged and isolated into small spaces, attentively looking out to “cousins” they can not be with and craving to run or hunt.
I will never be back and would not recommend to visit this cruel place. I am even considering to launch a “free the cheetahs at Fuji” campaign.
Written April 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kittennagoya
nagoya84 contributions
May 2015 • Family
This is the first safari park that I've ever visit. I think it is pretty good overall.
Pros:
1. It has a lot of animals. Bears, tigers, lions, elephants, etc. But we only saw 1 cheetah there, maybe they hided up?
2. The safari restaurant is cafeteria style, where you can get food quickly.
3. There was a baby lion event. We held a baby lion and took photos with him(?). Not something you can do everyday~~
Cons:
1. Since we went there on a weekday, it wasn't crowded in the bus and baby lion event, both need extra money. But we did meet several groups of kindergarten kids on their field trip.
2. The guidance of baby lion event were in Japanese only. Not sure how well they can handle tourists who don't understand Japanese.
Tips:
1. Go there on weekdays if you can!
2. Besides driving through by your own car, you can also take the zoo bus (extra fee), or rent a zoo suv.
Bus includes explanation (not sure if it is only in Japanese) and some meat that you can feed the animals.
Suv includes meat that you can feed the animal and the privilege of rolling down the car window.
We didn't take the bus this time because our daughter is 1 year old and we want our schedule to be flexible, which turns out smart decision - she cried so hard right after we drove in and we had to come out ASAP.
3. To buy the tickets at a cheeper price, you can use the discount tickets on their homepage (easiest way), or become a member (free, but have to apply before hand. May take 2 weeks and need an address in Japan), or check out the pre-sold tickets in convenient store.
Pros:
1. It has a lot of animals. Bears, tigers, lions, elephants, etc. But we only saw 1 cheetah there, maybe they hided up?
2. The safari restaurant is cafeteria style, where you can get food quickly.
3. There was a baby lion event. We held a baby lion and took photos with him(?). Not something you can do everyday~~
Cons:
1. Since we went there on a weekday, it wasn't crowded in the bus and baby lion event, both need extra money. But we did meet several groups of kindergarten kids on their field trip.
2. The guidance of baby lion event were in Japanese only. Not sure how well they can handle tourists who don't understand Japanese.
Tips:
1. Go there on weekdays if you can!
2. Besides driving through by your own car, you can also take the zoo bus (extra fee), or rent a zoo suv.
Bus includes explanation (not sure if it is only in Japanese) and some meat that you can feed the animals.
Suv includes meat that you can feed the animal and the privilege of rolling down the car window.
We didn't take the bus this time because our daughter is 1 year old and we want our schedule to be flexible, which turns out smart decision - she cried so hard right after we drove in and we had to come out ASAP.
3. To buy the tickets at a cheeper price, you can use the discount tickets on their homepage (easiest way), or become a member (free, but have to apply before hand. May take 2 weeks and need an address in Japan), or check out the pre-sold tickets in convenient store.
Written June 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Por favor gostaria de saber se no feriado de 12 a 16 de agosto formam se filas de espera. Se sim de quanto tempo estima a espera?
Lee D
6 contributions
We have experience driving overseas but this would be our first time driving in Japan. Would it be advisable to rent a car from Tokyo to Fuji Safari Land, considering the high cost and long traveling time involved in taking public transport?
fameboy67
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK215 contributions
I would say it’s not worth the travel or expense although there is a great view of Mt Fuji.
Crawlabout
Aldershot, UK230 contributions
Does anybody know how to check the current bus schedules for reaching the park, either from Gotemba or Mishima stations? Thanks :)
LORIAN65
Birmingham, UK571 contributions
What zone is the park in, and where isa the nearest placer to stay thank you, i dont drive, so have to reli on taxis or public transport please help thanks