A whole zoo devoted to the common squirrel? Of course—it’s Japan!
If you grew up in North America or Europe, the furry little rodent above probably doesn’t strike you as particularly exciting. Where I’m from, scurries of squirrels could be found in any park. In fact, they were probably considered more of a pest than an attraction, cute as they are.
Here is Japan though, squirrels are much less present in the people’s daily lives, particularly in huge urban areas like Tokyo, so perhaps that explains the long-running popularity of Machida’s Squirrel Garden, or Risu-en in Japanese, a zoo for hundreds and hundreds of bushy-tailed, nut-nibbling critters.
We decided to head over for a quick shufty to bring you this report. Buckle your seatbelts, Rocketeers, there is extreme cuteness ahead.
▼ Murals of fun-loving squirrels line the fence around the park.
▼ Squirrel marriage is apparently legal here. Sorry, same-sex couples, they beat you to it.
▼ The unassuming entrance to a rodent wonderland.
Machida Squirrel Garden is located in a quiet residential neighborhood in a far-flung suburb of Tokyo. A 20-minute bus ride from Machida Station will drop you right by the entrance and 400 yen (US$3.27) will get you into the park. Kids pay just 200 yen.
▼ Possibly the cutest ticket stub ever
▼ These were definitely kiddy sized or you would see my big mug poking out of one.
The main attraction is naturally the squirrels. There are about 200 of them living inside an enclosure of about 200 square meters with lots of wood piles, squirrel houses and things to climb and run on.
▼ Snug as a bug in a rug
▼ A net strung high over the bowl-shaped enclosure keeps the critters from wandering off.
▼ Guests enter through the building in the background, airlock style, so squirrels don’t stray out that way either.
Perhaps the cutest part, aside from the squirrels themselves, are the tiny houses. They appear to have been painted with the help of local kids.
▼ Seasonal offerings
▼ Squirrel bus
▼ A full count!
▼ Gah, hipster squirrel pad!
▼ Excuse me, sir. Do you have a moment to talk about our nut and savior, Squee-zus?
Then, of course, there are the squirrels themselves, which are pretty darn adorable. Many will readily come to you if have some seeds to offer. You can buy a small packet from the staff for 100 yen (US$0.82).
▼A sign outside the enclosure tells you how hungry the squirrels are. For our visit, they had just passed into “A little bit peckish.”
▼ Along with your seeds, you get a kitchen mitt to protect your hands. And to keep your germs away from the squirrels too, I imagine, you filthy thing.
▼ Ready for cross-species interaction!
▼ Come on, little guy…
▼ Double whammy!
▼ Some squirrels will climb into your lap without so much as a by-your-leave. They’re crazy for the nuts.
▼ “Gimme nuts!”
▼ You really can’t help but smile when they crawl into your hand, though.
▼ If feeding isn’t your thing or you’ve run out of seeds, there are still lots of squirrels running and lounging about to look at.
▼Snoozing in the sun, just like their arch-enemy, cats. No felines to trouble them here, though.
▼ “Please, sir, may I have another?”
▼ So fluffy… but no touchy…
As it turns out, the squirrel garden isn’t limited to just squirrels. They have a host of other small furry and feathered animals, including a massive horde of guinea pigs, some prairie dogs, turtles, birds, and several different species of rabbits, some of which have scheduled “encounter” times when they can be held or pet.
▼ “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.”
▼ iPig?
▼ Watch your fingers!
▼ The zoo has about 200 guinea pigs.
▼ You can also buy a small bowl of veggies for 100 yen to feed them.
▼ Prairie dogs are actually part of the same family as squirrels.
▼ Turtles are most definitely not…
And of course, because it’s Japan, there is a gift shop. Mostly, they carry cute stuffed animals, books and toys for kids.
▼And some not so cute.
▼D’awwwwwww!
▼ And some random sumo wrestler plushies dressed as Santa, because why not?
All in all, I’d say the park is worth a trip for fans of “teh cute” or families with kids. There’s also a large, lovely Japanese park across the street called Yakushiike Koen, so my advice is to combine the two for a nice day out and then finish up at one of Machida’s many ramen shops. See, the ‘burbs ain’t so bad!
Shop information
Machida Squirrel Park
Address: 733-1 Kanaimachi, Machida, Tokyo 195-0071
〒195-0071 東京都町田市金井町733-1
Telephone: 042-734-1001
Open 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., closed Tuesday
Website
Photos © RocketNews24
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