Japan! Ueno Zoo
Bruce took the first week we were here off of work, which was wonderful. We got acclimated to the train system, and got to go see some fun things with him. One place we visited was Ueno Zoo. It’s in a big park that also houses a number of museums that we will be venturing out on a later day to visit. The zoo was great fun and we had a wonderful time. The enclosures were all rather small, which meant that all of the animals were up close and friendly. Well, as friendly as zoo animals get.
Some pictures for you, since I know that’s what you really want :
Tiny and I were very excited to discover that the zoo had real live pandas! They’re both of our favorite animals, and Tiny has never seen one in person before.
A cool building.
Completely freaking adorable Japanese school kids on a field trip, The girls had pink hats, the boys had green:
I have no idea what Z is doing in this picture. Being a bird?
My new favorite bird, the Secretary bird. Indigenous to Africa, it is completely awesome. It’s about 4 feet tall.
These girls enjoy a good map:
Indian elephants. Note the smaller ears.
An informative picture of the inside of an elephant. The girls instructed me to take this picture for their grandma.
This restroom is for ladies wearing hoop skirts.
Part of the zoo is a huge lake that is home to a bunch of birds and these water lilies. I can only imagine its gorgeousness when they bloom.
Adorable little Japanese girl petting a goat. (Again with the no pants!)
Adorable American girls petting a goat.
My new second favorite bird, the Shoebill Struk. Isn’t he fantastic?
Tiny shrieking with delight at a meerkat that kept zooming past them.
I love this sign. Welcome indeed. (This was at the entrance to the nocturnal animal exhibit, obviously.)
These jaunty fellows were hanging out by the lake.
I have more pictures, but I figure you all know what lions, tigers and gorillas look like. 🙂
Do you often see goats with no pants?
I think the only full sentence I remember from my Japanese CDs is: Ueno eiki-wa toko des-ka? AND YOU’VE BEEN THERE!!!
Love the pictures and your writing. 🙂 And, really, girls with hoop skirts deserve their own bathroom. That can’t be an easy or modest task. hehehe.
I sure do miss you guys, but hope you are enjoying your time. Hugs.
We just re-visited the blog and realized that Secretary Bird is the one in Bedknobs and Broomsticks assisting the lion!
Maryanne – I’m still following the blog, but I had to break away to get married. Haha! Now I’m packing for my honeymoon in Thailand for 2 weeks.
Your pics are great as ever. The animals are fantastic — and you’re so close to them. Hope Tiny had a good time.
MIKE! You’re so right! That’s so awesome! And yes, ots of goats with no pants. 🙂
Jimmie, that’s a totally reasonable reason. 🙂 I hope the wedding was everything you could have wished for. I can’t wait to see pictures from YOUR trip!