Tennōji Zoo Audio Guide

Tennoji Zoo: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Tennoji Zoo

   Welcome to Tennoji Zoo, known in Japanese as Tennoji Doubutsuen. It sits inside Tennoji Park in Tennoji Ward, in the heart of Osaka, and that is exactly what makes it special. This is a true city zoo, covering about 11 hectares, which is roughly 27 acres, with close to a thousand animals living within a short walk of major train lines and busy shopping streets. Over the next few minutes, we will look at how this zoo began and why it was shaped by business rivalry, what kinds of animals and exhibits you can look for, and how the zoo is run today. Let us start with a date worth remembering: the first of January, 1915.

2. 02

   Tennoji Zoo: Born on New Year's Day, 1915

   Tennoji Zoo opened its gates on the first of January, 1915, and that makes it the third zoo ever built in Japan, and the third longest running. In 2015 it celebrated its one hundredth anniversary, and it now carries well over a century of history. Geographically, it lies to the southwest of Shitennoji, the temple celebrated as the first Buddhist temple in Japan, so old Osaka sits just a short distance away. Here is a twist on what you might expect from a founding story. From the very beginning, this zoo leaned toward lively, commercial recreation rather than the classic zoo goals of animal research and the preservation of species. The reason was competition. Around Osaka, railway companies were opening amusement parks with zoos attached: the Takarazuka zoo and botanical garden of Hankyu, Hamakoshien Hanshin Park of Hanshin, and Shobuike Amusement Park of Daiki. To stand out, Tennoji needed to offer something beyond simply showing animals. So when you walk through today, remember that the zoo you see grew up as a crowd pleaser in a very competitive city, and has been evolving ever since.

3. 03

   Tennoji Zoo: Habitats, Birds and Special Residents

   A big part of the experience at Tennoji Zoo is the ecological exhibits, which recreate the natural surroundings of the animals so you can watch them in settings that feel closer to home. Among the highlights are polar bears, and the drill, a monkey that you can see in Japan only here. The zoo is organized into themed areas, including an Asian Tropical Rainforest Zone and an Aviary Zone, each with its own surrounding area to explore. Bird lovers should look for the raptor house. It keeps Japanese golden eagles, condors, eagle owls, spectacled owls and steppe eagles. It also keeps yellow-headed vultures, which are found at no other zoo in Japan. Reptile fans have a dedicated building too: the reptile ecological house called Ifar. And if you want the story behind the animals, there is also the Tennoji Zoo Museum, which is packed with exhibits.

4. 04

   Tennoji Zoo: Elephants, Events and a New Chapter

   Elephants have a special place in the story of Tennoji Zoo. After a gap of eight years without elephants on display, the zoo welcomed elephants from Malaysia and opened a new elephant house, described as one of the largest in Japan. If you have been following the zoo over the years, it was a moment worth celebrating. The zoo also gives you reasons to time your visit. There are feeding times and snack times, when you can watch animals eating with real enthusiasm, and hands-on experiences where you can feel the warmth of an animal for yourself. On weekends especially, keepers offer short one-point guides, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about their animals. For a different atmosphere, there is a limited-period Night Zoo that shows animals as you rarely see them, in their nighttime mode, plus seasonal events through the year. The organization behind the zoo changed too. For years it was run directly by Osaka City. Then, after the city council approved the plan in December 2020, management passed on the first of April, 2021 to a newly founded local independent administrative corporation, Tennoji Zoo.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   As you wander Tennoji Zoo, keep a little game going in your mind. Look for how the animals' surroundings are arranged to echo the wild places they come from, and think about how a zoo that began as a crowd pleaser in 1915 has grown into a green pocket in the middle of a very busy city. When you arrive, you can pay by cash, credit card, electronic money or QR code, and tickets can also be bought online. Check the zoo's own schedule for feeding times and weekend keeper talks, since those are the moments that bring the animals to life. And when you step back out toward Tenshiba, remember how close you are to Shitennoji, that ancient temple just to the northeast. A zoo and the first Buddhist temple in Japan, a short walk apart: how many cities can offer that?