Fuji Safari Park is set close to the base of Mt.Fuji. On a clear day, Mt. Fuji provides a beautiful and scenic backdrop to the Safari park. As I have come to know, it isn’t always clear. Especially, in the spring and summer. We caught a glimpse of Fuji from the bus on our way to the park. Unfortunately, by the time we made the 2 hour trip, Mt. Fuji was trapped in clouds. Here was our route this morning in the ITT tour.
Fuji Safari has a wide assortment of animals. The most domesticated animals include: a rabbit house, cat house, and dog house. For ¥500 ($5.00), you can visit an animal house and visit with the animals inside. Our first stop was at the Rabbit House. Here we were able to pet one rabbit for up to 25 minutes. I picked a long haired rabbit that closely resembled a cat!
We skipped over the cat house and moved on to the large petting / feeding area. Animals available for feeding are kangaroos, wallabies, meerkats, monkeys, and guinea pigs. For ¥100 ($1.00), you can purchase food for each of the animals. We started with pictures.
Maybe my favorite pictures of the day – to quote my friend, Sara, “Joey Julia!”
After getting up close and personal with the kangaroo props, we decided we needed to get in on the kangaroo feeding. OMG! It was crazy. The kangaroos were very pushy.
The kangaroos actually freaked me out. Watch them get up close and personal with Sonia!
We continued on our way around the park and found the hippos, African dogs, and guinea pigs.
We could also visit the white kangaroos.
As we walked up the hill, we found the dog house!
I was so happy! Puppies!
And these two by the heater!
We enjoyed a quick lunch and then met our bus for the ride through the safari.
Once we boarded the bus, beneath our seat was the food we would feed the animals. The sides of the bus were open with a double cage separating us from the animals. You fed the animals using long metal tongs.
The apple and carrots were for the bears!
The raw meat was to feed the lions!
Check out my face! Borderline petrified!
You really need a video for this! I wish I could share with you the smell of lion breath. It was really, really stinky.
There were also tigers.
In case your wondering, yes, my hand could fit through the cages. I tried when there were no animals around. Keep in mind, we are the one in the cage, not the animals. They are contained by large exterior fences and separated by smaller fences with each area.
Basically, the carnivores were separated from the herbivores for obvious reasons.
Back to the feeding, the grass pebbles were for the camels.
The experience was unique. The kids on our bus seemed to really enjoy being up close to so many different animals. They were excited and inquisitive throughout the Safari trip. When you visit, we can go and hopefully, see Mt. Fuji!