Kyoto City Zoo

When it comes to Kyoto, temples and shrines may get a lot of attention, but the city zoo is not a place that often comes to mind as a tourist spot. However, the Kyoto City Zoo is historic in that it is the second oldest zoo in Japan, following the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. Lying adjacent to Nanzen-ji temple and Heian Shrine, the Kyoto City Zoo was given a facelift in the fall of 2015, with a renewed slogan of “up close and fun.” The distance between you and the animals is narrowed and is quite the experience. Since it is considered a small zoo for a national park, you won’t need to spend all day here and can just stop by instead. In addition to getting up close and personal with the animals, there is also a library cafe that you can enter without a ticket, so be sure to check it out.