Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya: Tickets, Hours, Koalas and Autumn Leaves

Last checked: October 29, 2026, against the official Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens website (Japanese pages for admission, hours, access, the zoo and the botanical garden, and a news notice dated October 21, 2026). Prices, hours and event dates change, so please confirm on the official site before you go. This site is independent and is not affiliated with the City of Nagoya or the zoo. This post may contain affiliate links; if you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a zoo and a garden in one park, about 20 minutes by subway from Nagoya Station. The official site says the zoo shows about 450 kinds of animals, the largest number of species in Japan, and the botanical garden holds about 7,000 kinds of plants. One ticket covers both. This guide covers the new admission fee, hours, how to get there, the main animals and this year’s autumn leaves events.

At a glance

• Adult ticket. 800 yen (high school students and older), covering the zoo and the botanical garden.
• Children. Middle school students and younger are free. Middle school students should carry a student ID.
• Sky Tower combined ticket. 880 yen for adults.
• Hours. Open from 9:00 to 16:50. Last entry is at 16:30.
• Closed. Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a holiday), and December 29 to January 1.
• Station. Higashiyama Koen on the Higashiyama Line, 3 minutes on foot from Exit 3. Hoshigaoka Station, 7 minutes on foot from Exit 6, is handier for the botanical garden.
• Parking. 1,000 yen per car, with about 1,600 spaces.

All of the above comes from the official Japanese pages on the date above.

Tickets and prices

The official admission page lists these prices:

• Single ticket. Adults (high school and older) 800 yen. Groups of 30 or more pay 720 yen each, and groups of 100 or more pay 640 yen each.
• Nagoya City residents aged 65 or over. 200 yen, with proof of address and age. This rate is only for Nagoya residents.
• Middle school students and younger. Free. Bring a student ID for middle school students.
• Sky Tower combined ticket. 880 yen for adults, and 240 yen for Nagoya residents aged 65 or over.
• Annual passport. 3,200 yen for adults, valid for one year from a start date you choose.

A discount with a subway pass

If you show a same-day subway ticket when you buy an admission ticket, the adult price drops from 800 yen to 640 yen. The tickets named on the official page are the one-day pass, the Donichi Eco ticket and the subway 24-hour pass. The discount is for one person per ticket, and only on the pass’s valid day.

How to pay and where to buy

• At the gate. You can pay in cash or with cards, transit IC cards (manaca, Suica, ICOCA and others), iD, QUICPay, WAON and QR payments such as PayPay and Alipay+.
• In advance. The official page lists advance tickets at Meitetsu Kanko Service, through multi-copy machines at convenience stores, and an online ticket service. A ticket bought in advance lets you go straight in without queuing at the ticket window, which helps on busy days such as Golden Week.
• Fee reductions. People with a disability certificate and some others get reduced or free entry. See the official page for the procedure.

Opening hours and closing days

• Hours. Open from 9:00 to 16:50. Entry and ticket sales end at 16:30.
• Animals indoors. Some animals go back to their housing from about 16:00 and cannot be seen after that.
• Closed. Every Monday. If Monday is a national holiday or a substitute holiday, the next day that is not a holiday is the closing day.
• Year-end. December 29 to January 1.
• Facilities. The opening times of the buildings inside the park are on the official facility pages.

Getting there from Nagoya

By subway

Take the Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line from Nagoya Station. The official page gives two stations:

• Higashiyama Koen Station. 3 minutes on foot from Exit 3.
• Hoshigaoka Station. 7 minutes on foot from Exit 6. The page says this station is handy for the botanical garden.

One real-estate site gives about 17 minutes from Nagoya Station to Higashiyama Koen, which is a secondary source. The official pages do not list the ride time or the fare from Nagoya Station, so please check the current fare on the Nagoya City Transportation Bureau site.

By car

The official page asks visitors to use public transportation because the roads and parking lots around the park are crowded.

• Parking. About 1,600 spaces in total. Ordinary cars pay 1,000 yen per entry, large vehicles 2,500 yen and motorcycles 500 yen. The lots are open from 8:45 to 17:00. Bring 1,000 yen notes, because large bills are not accepted at the machines. Cash and cashless payments are accepted for the fee.
• Busy days. On weekends and holidays during the spring and autumn festivals, the lots around the park fill up early in the morning. The official page suggests the Ikeshita parking lot at those times, with a 2-hour free parking ticket.
• From the Tomei Expressway. The official page gives about 15 minutes on Prefectural Route 60 heading west from the Nagoya Interchange.

The official English page shows 800 yen for ordinary cars, but the Japanese access page I read on October 29 shows 1,000 yen.

What to see

The zoo

The official zoo page lists the following popular animals:

• Koala
• Western lowland gorilla
• Komodo dragon
• Reticulated giraffe
• Sumatran tiger
• Jaguar
• Asian elephant

It also lists an elephant museum (called Zojiamu in Japanese) and a hall of medaka fish from around the world. The official calendar lists a naming ceremony and a naming vote for a baby koala in September 2026, but I did not check the details.

The botanical garden

The official botanical garden page says it has about 7,000 kinds of plants. It also has a greenhouse that is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and a Gassho-style house moved from Shirakawa-go in Gifu. The garden follows the hills and natural woods, with walking courses such as the Manyo walk, the medicinal herb road and the Tokai forest. The camellia garden holds the Chubu camellia collection, which the page says is certified as a National Collection.

Autumn leaves in 2026

The official notice dated October 21, 2026 says the botanical garden has more than 500 trees that turn red, and that the maples in the valley at the center of the garden are one of the best-known spots in Nagoya.

• Momiji-gari (autumn leaves viewing). From November 14 to December 6, 2026. The park is closed on November 16, 24 and 30, which fall within the period.
• Light-up evenings. November 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29, and December 5 and 6, 7 days in all. Part of the botanical garden stays open until 20:30. Entry ends at 20:00.
• Gates after 16:30. On those evenings, only the Hoshigaoka Gate and the Botanical Garden Gate can be used. The zoo area closes at 16:50 as usual.
• Events. A leaf stamp rally for middle school students and younger runs from 9:00 to 15:00 at the Hoshigaoka Gate and the Botanical Garden Gate. On December 5 at 13:30 there is a walk with the garden director, which is canceled in the rain.

The notice shows photos of past light-ups at spots such as Oku-ike pond. Check the special website linked from the notice for this year’s light-up area.

A half-day plan (my suggestion)

This plan is my own suggestion, not an official course.

1. Take the subway to Higashiyama Koen Station and enter by the nearest gate. 2. See the zoo first, because some animals go indoors from about 16:00. 3. Walk through the botanical garden in the afternoon. In the autumn leaves period, head for the central valley. 4. Leave before closing, or stay for a light-up evening and use the Hoshigaoka Gate or the Botanical Garden Gate.

Buying a ticket on Klook

The official site sells tickets at the gate and through the advance sales listed above. Klook also lists an admission ticket for the zoo and the botanical garden. Its page shows a starting price of US$1.89, which is far below the official 800 yen adult fee, so that price is probably for a different ticket type. I could not confirm which ticket it is, or whether it matches the official adult ticket. Choose your date and ticket type on the Klook page, and compare the final price with the official fee before you buy.

Open in Google Maps

• Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens
• Higashiyama Koen Station
• Hoshigaoka Station
• Higashiyama Sky Tower

Frequently asked questions

How much is admission? 800 yen for adults, covering the zoo and the botanical garden. Middle school students and younger are free.

Why does the English page show a different price? The English page showed 500 yen on October 29, 2026. The Japanese page announces a fee revision from October 2026 and lists 800 yen. Use 800 yen as your budget.

What are the hours and closing days? 9:00 to 16:50, with last entry at 16:30. Closed on Mondays and from December 29 to January 1.

How do I get there from Nagoya Station? By the Higashiyama Line to Higashiyama Koen Station or Hoshigaoka Station. Higashiyama Koen is 3 minutes on foot from Exit 3.

When are the autumn leaves? The official event runs from November 14 to December 6, 2026, with light-up evenings on 7 days.

Can I pay with a transit IC card? Yes. The ticket windows accept manaca, Suica, ICOCA and other IC cards, as well as cards and QR payments.

Sources

• Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens: hours, closed days and admission (Japanese)
• Access and parking (Japanese)
• The zoo (Japanese)
• The botanical garden (Japanese)
• Notice: autumn leaves and light-up, October 21, 2026 (Japanese)
• Official English page