Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden

Mt. Takasaki, located between Oita City and Beppu City, is a 628-meter-high mountain inhabited by wild monkeys of the “Nihonzaru” species. It is one of the natural zoos in Japan, where you can observe them closely. The distinctive point is that this park is close to the urban area, yet you can see the largest natural group of monkeys.

About 1,000 monkeys live there, and feeding is done every 30 minutes. When feeding time comes, many monkeys gather at the feeding place from out of nowhere. At that place, staff members give explanations about the life, habits, and events of Nihonzaru monkeys.

There used to be three groups of monkeys. Group A stopped appearing in 2002, and now Groups B and C come to the feeding place.

Feeding the monkeys began as a countermeasure to prevent monkey damage. Onishi, the monk at Manju Temple in Takasakiyama, thought of the idea of giving them sweet potatoes. This was a success, and it turned out to be a good tourism spot. In 1953, it became Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden.

Official English Site https://www.takasakiyama.jp/en/