Kids love the zoo “Non Hoi Park” in Toyohashi

Non Hoi Park is genuinely loved by locals, especially on the east side of Aichi. When I was little, I still remember my parents took me there, and it remains one of my good childhood memories. This time, I visited for the first time in 20 years, now as a mom, with my 15-month-old, and it was still so much fun!

This time, let me mainly introduce the zoo area and share some tips to avoid troubles!

Non Hoi Park ( Toyohashi Zoo & Botanical Park)

Non Hoi Park is located on the east side of Aichi in Toyohashi, just a 6-minute walk from Futagawa station. The park is primarily divided into four areas: a zoo, a botanical garden, a natural history museum, and an amusement park. While the amusement park has some age restrictions, mostly for those above 3 years old, you can enjoy spending pretty much the entire day there!

Ticket & Main Entrance

Just in front of the main entrance, there is a ticket machine to purchase your tickets. The cost is 600 yen for adults and 100 yen for elementary and middle school students (7 to 15 years old). If your babies or kids are below elementary school age, tickets are FREE!

A Zoo Area

he reason I love this zoo in Non Hoi Park is that the land area is exceptionally vast compared to the one in Nagoya. Therefore, I feel the animals are more relaxed and able to move around with enough space. Personally, I sometimes feel a bit sad when I see animals in small cages, even though the staff takes excellent care of them and provides sufficient food.

My mom told me that when I was two years old, I cried so hard when I first saw a white bear! Apparently, my little boy was laughing when a white bear came out of the water. I personally love watching how penguins swim; they swim faster than I expected!

Autumn leaves ‘Koyo‘ spot in the park

We were truly surprised by the absolutely stunning autumn leaves on the trees along the street! We visited on December 1, 2023, which was the perfect time when the foliage had just turned vibrant. This area is located right next to the tower restaurant, and it’s also nice to bring your own lunch box and enjoy a picnic on the grass! I still remember having a picnic there when I was in kindergarten on a school short trip!

Restaurants in Nonhoi Park

Taattoria Centro

Trattoria Centro is an Italian restaurant located on the 1st floor of the tower restaurant. They serve pizza, pasta, lasagna, gratin, and hamburgers. The lion curry rice from the kids’ menu seems very popular, but it was fully reserved when we visited on a weekday.

Stella Cafe

Stella Cafe is located on the top floor of the tower restaurant, and we had lunch here. They mainly serve curry rice and omurice. The cafe is relatively small, with only 24 seats available, but it is very kid-friendly. You can bring your stroller to the table or borrow a kids’ chair with a belt. My 15-month-old son loves the kids’ plate of curry rice; it’s not spicy at all and has a sweet curry flavor, almost like apple.

How to order food? Once you are escorted to your table, you will be informed of the table number. Next, proceed to the ticket machine to order your food and purchase a ticket corresponding to your table number. Drinks are included in the lunch menu, so simply grab your drinks inside the cafe.

Information ＆ Tips

Risa

Japanese Blogger

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A Japanese working mom based in Nagoya, Aichi. Studied International Tourism Management and worked in a 5 stars luxury hotel in Bangkok for total 8-ish years. Sharing our culture, lifestyle, local tips, and experiences in traveling, especially in Nagoya and Aichi 🇯🇵