Izu Shaboten Zoo
Last updated: August 26, 2026
The capybara hot bath was invented here: every winter at Izu Shaboten Zoo, the world's largest rodents sink into a steaming open-air pool with yuzu bobbing around their ears. The rest of the park, at the foot of Mount Omuro on the Izu Peninsula, is just as easygoing — some 140 animal species with squirrel monkeys and peacocks roaming free among visitors, boat tours drifting past monkey islands, and pyramid greenhouses sheltering 1,500 kinds of cactus and succulents beneath replicas of Mexico's ancient stone colossi.
Itinerary
- Stop at: Izu Shaboten Zoo
Frequently Asked Questions
The open-air capybara bath runs through the cold months, roughly November to early April — a tradition this zoo started in 1982 and the scene its name travels on. Come in winter for the full picture: steam rising, capybaras dozing, yuzu drifting across the water.
Around 140 animal species — kangaroos, red pandas, flamingos — with squirrel monkeys and peacocks wandering the paths at their own pace, a boat tour that circles the monkey islands on the park's pond, and the cactus pyramids: greenhouses holding 1,500 varieties from deserts around the world, studded with rock replicas of Mexico's ancient ruins.
From Ito Station on the JR Ito Line, Tokai buses bound for Shaboten Koen take about 35 minutes; a taxi does it in about 25. The zoo sits right beside the Mount Omuro lift, so the grassy volcano's crater-rim walk pairs naturally with the same outing.
One of the best on the peninsula — the animals here are close rather than distant, with free-roaming residents crossing your path, feeding moments throughout the day and the boat tour keeping younger visitors busy between capybara appearances.