Sapporo Maruyama Zoo

札幌市円山動物園

Polar bear tunnel and Ezo animals

Hours

Mar–Oct 9:30–16:30, Nov–Feb 9:30–16:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing)

Tickets

Adults about 800 yen; junior high and under free

Address

Miyagaoka 3-1, Chuo Ward; about 5 minutes by bus from Maruyama-koen Station

The biggest zoo in Hokkaido. The polar bear house has an 18 m underwater tunnel where a bear can swim right over your head. There are separate areas for Hokkaido natives like the Ezo deer, Ezo brown bear and owls. It sits next to Maruyama Park, so a wooded walk to the shrine follows the zoo naturally.