“Tokiwa Zoo, Yamaguchi Prefecture – An Immersive Wildlife Experience in Japan”
ときわ動物園は、思わず見入ってしまうサルたちが本当に多い動物園です。
表情豊かで、つい「おさるさん」と呼びたくなる瞬間もたくさんあります。
その昔、カッタ君というモモイロペリカンが、幼稚園に遊びに行って幼児たちの遊んでいるのがニュースになったのですが、このあたりのときわ公園というところの水辺から訪れていたようで、いまは銅像がその物語を語り継いでいます。
Tokiwa Zoo is a place where visitors can easily find themselves captivated by the many monkeys that live there.
Their expressive faces and gentle gestures often make you want to call them “little monkeys,” even as an adult.
Long before the zoo became known for this, there was a beloved pelican named Katta-kun.
Katta-kun, a great white pelican, once became a local sensation after repeatedly visiting a nearby kindergarten, where he was seen peacefully interacting with young children.
It is said that he came from the waters of Tokiwa Park, which surrounds this area.
Today, a bronze statue stands by the water, quietly preserving and passing on the memory of that remarkable story.
この、ときわ動物園の特徴は水路を利用したモート（いわゆる水堀式展示）によって、動物と来園者の間に自然な距離が保たれているところです。
つまり水が苦手なシロテテナガザルのように、水路によってそれに阻まれ、必要以上にお客さん側に行けなくなっている。
ですから、ガラス張りの施設ではなく野生に近い展示をしていて私たちのような動物の写真を趣味としている人にとっても、動物たちにとっても安全なところとなっています。
One of the defining features of Tokiwa Zoo is its use of water moats (so-called moat-style enclosures), which create a natural sense of distance between the animals and visitors.
For species such as the white-handed gibbon, which are not comfortable with water, these moats act as an effective boundary, preventing the animals from approaching the visitor areas beyond a certain point.
As a result, the zoo does not rely heavily on glass enclosures or cages.
Instead, it offers exhibits that feel closer to the animals’ natural environment.
This approach provides a safe and comfortable space not only for the animals themselves, but also for visitors—especially those, like myself, who enjoy photographing wildlife.
This makes Tokiwa Zoo a safe and rewarding place both for the animals and for visitors—particularly wildlife photography enthusiasts.
「ここが見せ物ではなく、人と動物が同じ空間で生きている場所だと、静かに教えてくれるまなざし。」
A quiet gaze that seems to remind us that this is not a show, but a shared space between humans and animals.
