Machida Squirrel Garden, Machida

Somewhat dirty but deserves 5 stars. They employ special needs persons and are great with kids. Was winter so the squirrels were more focused on sleeping then grabbing the seeds but kids loved all the hamsters and guinea pigs aswell. Bring about 1000-2,000¥ per kid for seeds and snacks took my 3 yo about 2 hours to have enough and we left. Gift store is nice but it's a gift store, expect 800-1,000¥ per kid to get them a small plush toy

We loved it! We went during the weekday and was able to take care of the free parking at the nearby park, as well as enjoy the park without many other people or children. The entrance fee (see below) is low, but they charge 100 yen per dish/package to feed the animals in the park. The outer area of the park you are able to feed rabbits, and guinea pigs and there are a variety of different squirrels and other animals on display. The center of the park features the squirrel feeding. It's only one variety of squirrel (see pictures) but there are so many of them. There is also a gigantic land tortoise that roams around in the squirrel area. I also noticed that they hired a lot of people with special needs. They smiled at the kids and really seemed to enjoy their jobs selling the animal foods, passing out feeding mittens, and manning the doorways. It was very nice experience. Our kids really enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed seeing them experience something completely new. We will definitely be back again. Hours of operation: Weekdays, Sundays, Holidays 10: 00-16: 00 (April - September Sundays, Holidays only 10: 00-17: 00) Sale of tickets will be closed 30 minutes before the closing time. Closed Every Tuesday (Open in the case of a national holiday, closed on the next weekday) June, September, December: First Tuesday - Friday (for park maintenance) December 26 - January 2 (year holiday closed) Parking: Free parking during weekdays at Yakushike Park (just around the corner and up the street). Paid parking on weekends and holidays (visit website for rates). Tickets: Child (over 3 years old elementary school student): 200 yen Adult (junior high school student): 400 yen There is a group discount as well so please visit their site for pricing.

Yes it is a bit of a trek to get there but it was so worth it for a couple of hours of innocent fun. If you are going from Tokyo; it's two trains and a bus from Machida Station. A good amount of planning is worth the visit. Too much cute!

Worth it to visit with your kids even couples and old ones !so friendly community 😀

A very precious experience for city people. The squirrels are just too cute to watch, feed, touch and interact. We had stayed for 90mins and did not want to leave at all. They gave us scratches and mud in return LOL. Do bring some disinfectant gel with you as a safety measure. Enjoy!