Greetings fellow manulovers!
In October 2026 I travelled to Japan with the intention of seeing all nine zoos in the country with manuls. Fortunately most of the zoos are in the major metropolitan areas (Tokyo and Osaka/Kobe) however a few of them required a bit of a journey to get to. I started writing down notes that I learned from other manulovers before I went, and thought maybe a detailed guide to visiting may be helpful to some others. I appreciate all the information that I received before my visit, and I tried to fill in the blanks with the rest. Some of the details may be a bit mundane but hopefully they will help any manulover who wants to go see our friends.
If you have questions, feedback, or would like more information, please feel free to drop me an Instagram DM at @speedbrian747. I am work in the travel industry so I enjoy putting together things like this. I would also like to note that Japan Airlines offers special tourist fares for flights within Japan, if you are a foreign visitor. They provide very good savings (I used one of these tickets to go to Asahiyama to see Grusha and Hide, as well as a couple of other connections) and I am happy to help anyone book these that might want to, it can be done through a different web link than standard Japan Airlines tickets.
I have included which day of the week I went to each zoo, because it took some coordinating to not go on the day they are usually closed. It took a lot of trial and error to get them in the correct order where I was not backtracking on my journey, but I would suggest confirming the zoo opening days/hours before you go as they change during some times of the year. I also included whether or not the manuls are behind glass for viewing. If you are interested in taking photos, I have found that wearing dark clothing reduces reflections on the glass, so I would wear something dark to the locations where they are behind glass.
(Skip this paragraph if you are not interested in travel options for getting around) I’m not sponsored or advertising any of the following, but having been to Japan many times before, I would like to offer a few recommendations for those who are new and the apps that have worked for me. Downloading an IC card is important (either Pasmo or Suica) - this is the best way to pay for trains, buses, taxis - even many vending machines take IC payment. Some of the train and subway lines do not accept regular tap card payments, and you can download the IC card to your phone’s wallet and add value as you go. I also recommend using the Klook app for the longer distance trains (this does not include the local subways) - you pay a small booking fee but Klook takes the guesswork out of making sure you have the right ticket. The different types of Japanese rail tickets, especially those on JR (Japan Railways) can be very confusing, and I do not suggest buying the JR tourist pass unless you plan on being on their trains every day or taking very long journeys. There is also another train app called Navitime which I have heard is very good, however I have not used this one so I can’t comment on it. Finally, I suggest the GO app for taxis in the major cities. Uber does work in Tokyo, although GO seems to be used by more drivers across Japan these days.