Kobe Oji Zoo
34°42′36″N 135°12′50″E / 34.71°N 135.214°E / 34.71; 135.214
Date opened	1951
Location	3 Chome-1 Ōjichō, Nada-ku, Kōbe, Hyōgo Pref., Japan (兵庫県神戸市灘区王子町3-1)
Memberships	JAZA[1]
Major exhibits	Pandas, polar bears, big cats
Public transit access	Railway: Ōji-kōen, Nada or Iwaya station
Website	www.kobe-ojizoo.jp

Kōbe Ōji Zoo (神戸市立王子動物園, Kōbe-shiritsu Ōji Dōbutsuen), or simply Kobe Zoo or Ōji Zoo (王子動物園), is a municipal zoo in Kobe, Japan.

Attractions

Panda House (パンダ館)

Giant pandas since 2000.^[2]

Zoological Science Center (動物科学資料館)

An indoor educational center featuring skeletal specimens and a reading room.

Big Cats Circle (円形猛獣舎)

tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, and jaguars.

Polar Bear House (ホッキョクグマ舎)

Aboveground and underwater viewing areas

Animals' Land & Children's Zoo (動物とこどもの国)

red pandas, otters, koalas and some farmyard animals.

A small amusement park (遊園地)

Rides and games for children, includes a Ferris wheel and chair swing ride.

The E.H. Hunter House (旧ハンター住宅)

The former residence of the founder of Osaka Iron Works, Edward Hazlett Hunter. An elaborate example of a 19th-century ijinkan (異人館, "foreign home"), it is at the northeast corner the zoo (hence not accessible outside zoo hours). The interior – with roped-off period furniture – is only open a few months each year.^[2] It was designated an Important Cultural Property by both the prefecture and the nation.^[3]

Animals in other sections include giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, ostriches, flamingos, hippos, some species of apes, crocodiles, bobcats, sea lions, snow owls, and elephants.^[2]

Surrounding

Technically the zoo is within Ōji Park (王子公園, Ōji Kōen), but the zoo is enclosed and has admission fees. Surrounding the zoo are the various parts of a sports complex. To the zoo's northwest is the Ōji Sports Center (王子スポーツセンター, Ōji Supōtsu Sentā). To the northeast are some tennis courts; to the east is Ōji Stadium; to the southwest is the Museum of Literature.