MAK家BLOG: Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 13): Penguins and Polar Bears at the Sweltering Ueno Zoo

"Won't it be unbearably hot if we go to the zoo?"

Zoos and blazing sunshine seem like two brothers who simply can't get along, yet are forced to live together. Most zoos are outdoor attractions, they don't open at night, and daytime visitors have to endure the full force of the scorching sun.

Personally, I'm not particularly supportive of keeping animals in captivity. However, as a tour leader, I can't simply follow my own interests and spend the day immersed in an art museum. That was why I came up with Ueno Zoo, a historical attraction with broad appeal. Besides, compared with setting off early in the morning for Tokyo Disneyland or Fuji-Q Highland, this activity was clearly a much more relaxed option.

(Photo: To combat the blazing heat, your battle-hardened tour leader Mak wrapped a soaking wet cooling towel around his head. The look may not be particularly flattering, but it works wonders for cooling down. No fans or parasols required.)

Having visited Ueno countless times, I hardly need Google Maps to find my way around Ueno Zoo. We entered through the Benten Gate and planned to begin our visit in the Western Garden.

(Photo: Admission is only ¥600 for adults, ¥200 for junior high school students, and free for children aged 12 and under. A family of four can get in for just ¥1,400. An excellent budget-friendly attraction.)

10:30 AM - Entering the Western Garden

The moment we stepped inside, a few shameless members of the group immediately rushed off to see the tortoises and rabbits. The real reason, of course, was the indoor, air-conditioned viewing area.

Looking at the map, two animals in the Western Garden particularly caught my interest. The first was the African penguin.

"Penguins? Surely their enclosure must be air-conditioned if they live in icy environments?"

As it turned out, not all penguins live among snow and ice.

"According to the information panel, African penguins inhabit the southwestern coasts of South Africa and Namibia, where ocean temperatures range from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius..."

Before I could finish reading, the younger members of the group had already hurried toward the next exhibit. The intense heat had clearly claimed more than a few casualties among their curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

The second animal was the shoebill stork, one of Ueno Zoo's biggest stars. Its popularity probably stems from its status as an endangered species. There are only ten shoebills in all of Japan, and remarkably, four of them live at Ueno Zoo.

(Photo: It has a rather amusing appearance, and its head seems capable of rotating almost 360 degrees.)

Beside Shinobazu Pond, where lotus flowers were in full bloom, lies the Western Garden area. The surroundings were beautiful, albeit a little too hot. Giraffes and hippos, animals rarely seen in Hong Kong, could also be found here.

After exploring the Western Garden, we crossed the Aesop Bridge toward the Eastern Garden. The walk between the two sections takes only five to eight minutes, so there's really no need to wait for the shuttle bus. There are also restaurants and rest areas along the way, making the journey quite manageable.

12:00 PM - After a Short Break - Eastern Garden

The Eastern Garden is home to many of the larger animals, including polar bears, elephants, and Sumatran tigers.

However, when we entered the indoor viewing corridor for the polar bears, we discovered that the bears had been kept inside their air-conditioned quarters and were not visible to visitors. In fact, it wasn't just the polar bears. Even the tigers, animals that naturally live in tropical rainforests, were hiding from the heat during the hottest part of the day.

If you want to see the animals actively moving around, it's best to arrive early, before the sun climbs high into the sky.

At this point, readers may be wondering why I chose to feature "Polar Bears" in the title.

Well, I simply wanted everyone to share the disappointment I felt when I desperately wanted to see them but couldn't.

(Photo: Given the oppressive heat, it's impressive that the elephant still found the energy to play with a giant tyre.)

Fortunately, there were still elephants and orangutans to see. The biggest surprise for me, however, was the Small Mammal House, which featured dozens of bats. Watching them hang upside down and swoop through the enclosure together was a fascinating and rather rare sight.

(Bats - there's a video!)

12:40 PM

Hot, hungry, and exhausted, the tour members decided it was time to leave.

"Why didn't we just visit an art museum? At least they have air conditioning!"

As we passed the long queue outside one of the nearby museums, the group once again began questioning the tour leader's planning.

"You lot aren't even interested in Hong Kong's M+ Museum. Why have you suddenly become art lovers the moment you arrive in Tokyo?"

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 - To be continued

Next chapter: (14) Farewell to Ueno, Once Again

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Below are other sharing about My Previous trips in Japan, including Disney Sea Tokyo, The Making of Harry Potter, USJ Osaka, and also my last 2 couple trips in Bangkok, Thailand

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Busily working on my write-up...)

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 - Pre-Trip Preparation Checklist NEW2026!!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 2) – Arrival: The Hotel in Ueno NEW2026!!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 3) – Disneyland vs DisneySea Ultimate Showdown NEW2026!!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (part 4) Tokyo Disneyland – Pre-Trip Preparations NEW2026!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (part 5): Full‑Day Field Log at Tokyo Disneyland NEW2026!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (part 6) - The Akihabara Dad Squad NEW2026!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 7): Complete Guide to Shibuya Sky NEW2026!!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 8) Preparation!‑ Fuji‑Q Highland NEW2026!!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 9) Fuji‑Q Highland – Thrills, Scares and the Attack NEW2026!!!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 10) TeamLab Plants Tokyo: Immersed NEW2026!

Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Part 11) Dad’s “One‑Unicorn Show” NEW2026!!