Day trip from Tokyo
Tobu Zoo with Kids
東武動物公園 · A zoo and a small amusement park on one ticket, at the end of the same Tobu line that starts in Asakusa.
Last verified: 2026-06-14 · checked against official sources and our editors’ research
Tobu Zoo is a hybrid: animals on one side, rides on the other, plus a summer pool — which matters with mixed-age siblings, because the four-year-old and the seven-year-old are not fighting over the same day. Preschoolers enter free, our editors rate the ride selection for the under-threes as unusually good, and the officially confirmed facility list covers nursing rooms, changing tables and paid stroller hire. Weekdays run quiet; even holidays only reach moderate.
Where it fits in a Tokyo trip
It is in Miyashiro, Saitama, on the Tobu Skytree Line — the same line that runs out of Asakusa, so it slots naturally after a couple of days in the Asakusa and Skytree part of Tokyo. Give it a full day; the walk from the station is about ten minutes, which is fine with a stroller but not nothing at the end of a long afternoon.
Getting there: About 10 minutes on foot from the west exit of Tobu-Dobutsu-Koen Station (Tobu Skytree Line, the line running out of Asakusa). · Our Asakusa guide, at the other end of this line
Admission structure: Free for preschoolers (under school age). We do not print prices — they change; check the official site before you go.
Which ages this actually works for
Not “kid friendly” — a per-age verdict for Tobu Zoo, with the reason.
Baby (0–1)
WorkableOur editors do not tag the baby year as a highlight, but they do record rides aimed at the under-threes, and the officially confirmed list has nursing rooms, changing tables and paid stroller hire. Doable — just not the reason to come.
Toddler (1–3)
WorksTagged from two, and this is where the hybrid pays: animals at toddler pace with rides that actually accept small children, rather than a park where everything has a height limit.
Preschooler (3–5)
WorksTagged through the band, and entry is still free until school age — the cheapest big day out on this page for a five-year-old.
Age ratings are derived from the facility and access data we hold for each place, using a fixed rule that we publish on the page — they are not opinions. Where we do not hold the evidence a rating needs, we show “Not verified” rather than guessing.
Planning notes
From the venue’s own information and our editors’ research. We have not taken our own children here, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Crowds
Quiet on weekdays and only moderate on holidays — unusual for a zoo-plus-rides park, and the main reason we rate it over busier options.
Strollers
Stroller hire is available in the park but it is paid, so bring your own if you already have one with you in Tokyo.
Summer
A pool operates in summer. If you are travelling July–August, that changes what to pack more than it changes the plan.
Facilities (officially confirmed)
Checked against the facility’s own site or the city’s official accessibility database — separate from our visit notes above.
| Changing tables | Yes |
|---|---|
| Nursing room | Yes |
| Stroller rental | Yes |
| Accessible bathroom | Yes |
Common questions
Is Tobu Zoo worth it if we are already going to Ueno Zoo?
They are different days. Ueno is a two-hour stop inside a sightseeing day; Tobu Zoo is a full day out of the city where the animals are only half the point — the rides and, in summer, the pool are the other half. If you have one zoo day, and your child is two to six, the hybrid gives you more to do.
How do you get to Tobu Zoo from Asakusa?
It is on the Tobu Skytree Line, which runs out of Asakusa, so it is a straight run without changing to another operator — then about ten minutes on foot from the west exit of Tobu-Dobutsu-Koen Station.
Is Tobu Zoo free for small children?
Preschoolers — children below school age — enter free. Rides are charged separately, so the free entry does not mean a free day.
Book the trip around it
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Places we would compare this with
Same kind of day, rated the same way — so you can choose rather than guess.
Saitama Children’s Zoo with Kids
Three nursing rooms, an in-park shuttle bus and free entry for preschoolers — the zoo that is actually built around babies.
Musashi Kyuryo Forest Park with Kids
A giant free air trampoline, free stroller hire at every gate, and free entry all the way to junior high.
Akebono Children’s Forest Park with Kids
A free municipal park of storybook mushroom-shaped houses — the Moomin day for families not paying theme-park prices.
Chiba Zoological Park with Kids
A monorail station at the gate, an indoor childcare room with a kids’ space, and free entry through junior high.