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Zoorasia is one of Japan’s newest and biggest zoos… so when in Yokohama…

We chose to head to the zoo first thing in the morning to avoid some of the crowds and with the hope of maximising our time in Yokohama since it opened earlier than the other sights/shops we wanted to see.

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Getting there:
Coming from Tokyo its just a matter of catching the shinkansen (which run very regularly from Tokyo Station) to Shin-Yokohama. Make your way to the bus stop at the front and wait. There’s a sign listing services for Zoorasia but we found that wasn’t necessary as the bus was clearly marked on the front and with a small sign and logo on the side. While you wait there’s a nice little bakery and a KFC across the road if you’re after a bite to eat.

As with any smaller local services your JR pass may not be accepted so keep some coins handy. The ride is less than Y200 so its not going to break the bank.

The trip takes about 20-30min on the eco-bus (eerily quiet when it shuts down when stopped at lights!) which takes you through smaller suburbs and a little bit of country side. Stay on it till the end, it’ll drop you off right at the door.

Travel tip: More details of how to get there can be found on their site, specifically this PDF (requires PDF reader or a supported browser/add on)

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Getting there early definitely paid off, not a person in sight at the entrance, no line up for tickets and freedom of choice for lockers to lighten our load.

With free reign of the grounds bar a few other tourists it was easy to get the photos we wanted and move at a steady pace without getting frustrated with feet draggers and tour/school groups!

The animals are roughly divided into regions of origin, Asian Tropical, Subartic, Oceanic Grassland etc. Most of the “wow” animals are on the west half of the compound so head to the left after entering. Their enclosures are all very large, natural and well kept, a far cry from what we saw in Beijing previously. Viewing windows above and below the water in enclosures for animals like the penguins are an added bonus to watch their transistion in and out of the water.

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Getting about does take a bit of time due to the expansive size so if you go at busy times be prepared to add a lot more time to your schedule.

Travel tip: There are eateries through out the grounds to take a rest, Aussie Hill restaurant provides a psuedo taste of home, just don’t expect billy tea and damper πŸ˜‰

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"I said I'll get to you in a sec..."

“I said I’ll get to you in a sec…”

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ORLY?

ORLY?

YA RLY.

YA RLY.

Like any zoo, the time you take is purely up to how thorough/interested you are (or how many kids you have) so it can take anywhere from a couple hours to the whole day. The place was filling up by the time we left (around lunch) as the school excursions started arriving.

Did someone say lunch? Time for a ramen break! Up next, The Ramen Museum!

If you have any questions on our travels, where to buy, what to do, hit us up on the Soulbridge media facebook page.

Japan 2013 part #1 – Arrival
Japan 2013 part #2 – Tokyo International Toy Expo
Japan 2013 part #3 – Gotemba – Premium Outlets mall
Japan 2013 part #4 – Tokyo – Studio Ghibli Museum
Japan 2013 part #5 – Tokyo – Kichijoji and Nakano
Japan 2013 part #6 – Tokyo – Akihabara
Japan 2013 part #7 – Tokyo – Tamiya HQ, Diver City
Japan 2013 part #8 – Yokohama – Zoorasia
Japan 2013 part #9 – Yokohama – Ramen Museum
Japan 2013 part #10 – Nissan HQ and Yokohama
Japan 2013 part #11 – Osaka – Nanba Shopping
Japan 2013 part #12 – Kyoto
Japan 2013 part #13 – Tokyo – Harajuku, Shibuya
Japan 2013 part #14 – Osaka castle, Umeda Sky building
Japan 2013 part #15 – Osaka Aquarium and Tempozan wheel
Japan 2013 part #16 – Osaka Universal Studios

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Banjo wielding vagabond Karl S Williams steps in this week for our The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section cover shoot.

Read about them in this week’s issue of The Music (Brisbane) #061.

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Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets, read current and back issues online @ The Music magazine – Brisbane or download the new app for iTunes and Android.

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Pardon our break in transmission over the last couple weeks, we’ve been busy inducting the newest member to our team! Granted it’ll be some time before she has the strength to make a fist let alone hold a camera but we’re looking forward to having another permanent member on board! In front of the camera action from her soon (:

Back into it, this week we have The Jensens for our The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section cover shoot.

Read about them in this week’s issue of The Music (Brisbane) #060.

…and if you missed it, last week’s issue had our definite pick for Band name O’ the Month Cactusdemondoom. You can still read about them onine in issue #059 of The Music (Brisbane).

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Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets, read current and back issues online @ The Music magazine – Brisbane or download the new app for iTunes and Android.