Sapporo Maruyama Zoo

Maruyama Zoo is a popular zoo in Sapporo located inside Maruyama Park in Chuo Ward. It is home to 169 species and 939 animals and is one of Sapporo’s top sightseeing spots. The zoo is especially known for its continued success breeding polar bears, a difficult feat in captivity, making polar bears one of its major highlights. The Chimpanzee House lets you observe chimpanzees playing on 15-meter-high jungle gyms and bouldering structures. The Children’s Zoo is very popular with kids because animals such as sheep, ducks, and geese are kept in an environment where visitors can get close and experience them directly. At the Squirrel Monkey Dome, squirrel monkeys move across routes above a glass-covered passage, allowing visitors to observe their behavior up close (without direct contact). The Elephant House is designed with multiple viewing angles—land stage, water stage, and training zone—and some visitors even spend the whole day watching elephants. Access is about a 15-minute walk from Maruyama-Koen Station on the Subway Tozai Line.