CHIKOZAN Park's Children's Zoo in Sayama City is welcoming visitors after dark this August. Normally closing at 4:30 PM, the zoo will extend its hours until 9:00 PM on select nights, giving guests a chance to observe animals behaving very differently than they do during the day.
Visitors are welcome to come in the afternoon, arrive once it cools down in the evening, or do both — head out in the daytime, leave, and return later once temperatures drop (a ticket stub is required to re-enter). Night Zoo 2026 also features limited-time events and original merchandise found only during the event.
Dates: August 13 (Thu), 14 (Fri), and 15 (Sat)
Hours: Open until 9:00 PM (last entry 8:30 PM)
More details are available on the official event page:
https://www.parks.or.jp/chikozan/event/003/003581.html
About CHIKOZAN Park's Children's Zoo
CHIKOZAN Park's Children's Zoo sits near the center of CHIKOZAN Park, a 53-hectare urban park in northwestern Sayama City that makes use of natural streams and ponds running through its wooded groves. The zoo partially opened in 1986 and was fully completed, at 3.3 hectares, in 1989, giving children an ongoing place to get close to nature and animals. It mainly displays animals that children can enjoy, and its Petting Plaza lets visitors interact with small animals such as guinea pigs and goats.
Official website: http://www.parks.or.jp/chikozan/zoo/
Visitor Information
Address: 864-1 Kashiwabara, Sayama, Saitama Prefecture 350-1335
Phone: 04-2953-9779 (inquiries accepted during opening hours only)
FAX: 04-2953-9780
Regular hours: 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM (last entry 4:00 PM)
Closed: Every Monday (if Monday is a public holiday, the zoo stays open and closes the following Tuesday instead); year-end and New Year holidays (December 30 to January 1)
Admission Fees
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Adults (high school age and older) | ¥500 |
| Junior high school age and younger | Free |
Admission is waived for visitors holding a physical disability certificate, a rehabilitation (intellectual disability) certificate, or a mental disability health and welfare certificate, plus one accompanying caregiver per visitor — please be sure to bring the certificate.
Access
By public transportation
- From Seibu Shinjuku Line's Sayama-shi Station: take a Seibu Bus from the west exit bound for CHIKOZAN Park and get off at the CHIKOZAN Park stop, then walk 5 minutes; or take a Seibu Bus bound for Saiboku Ham and get off at Kamijuku (Uwajuku), then walk 15 minutes.
- From JR Kawagoe Line's Kasahata Station: take a Tobu Bus bound for Saiboku Ham and get off at the Saiboku Ham stop, then walk about 30 minutes.
By car
- From the Ken-O Expressway's Sayama-Hidaka Interchange (Sayama direction): turn left at the CHIKOZAN Park Entrance intersection, then turn right at the sign for the Children's Zoo — about 500 m.
- From the National Route 16 intersection at Sayama-shi Iruma-gawa 3-chome: head toward Hanno (Sayama Industrial Park) for about 2.5 km, then turn right at the sign for the Children's Zoo — about 500 m.
- From the Prefectural Route 261 intersection at Shimo-Oyazawa (in front of Saiboku Ham): head toward Hanno and turn left at the intersection with the Family Mart, about 500 m; continue past the park's main entrance and turn left at the sign for the Children's Zoo — about 500 m.
