【Non Hoi Park】 A Comprehensive Botanical and Zoological Park Where You Can Feel Close to Living Creatures and Nature

Feel the Charm of Various Animals Up Close in the “Zoo Zone”

In the Zoo Zone, you’ll find over 140 species and more than 800 animals, including mammals like lions and elephants, and birds like flamingos and penguins. The zone also houses rare species such as the Japanese serow and the Oriental stork, both designated as special natural monuments, as well as endangered species like the Sumatran orangutan and the Chinese alligator. Additionally, you can encounter familiar animals from local satoyama (rural landscapes) environments, such as raccoons, foxes, and native Japanese birds.

The park is designed to allow visitors to feel close to the animals’ natural behaviors and habitats. For example, giraffes and zebras roam in a spacious enclosure that evokes the savannah, while red pandas climb trees on structures that encourage their natural, vertical movement.

One of the highlights is observing the animals during feeding time. Watch giraffes eat leaves up close, or see penguins skillfully catch fish underwater. Every Sunday, the park hosts “Wild Feast” for the lions, where culled wild deer are used as food for the zoo animals, offering families an opportunity to learn about environmental education.

Other attractions include the “Owl Forest,” where various species of owls are displayed, the Nocturnal Animal House, where day and night cycles are reversed so that you can observe nocturnal animals during the day, and the “Nakayoshi Farm,” where you can experience feeding and interacting with domestic animals, bringing you closer to the world of animals. Through these experiences, visitors can learn about the environments in which these animals live.

Feel Like You’ve Time-Traveled! Learn About Earth’s History from Its Birth to the Present at the “Natural History Museum”

Since its opening in 1988, the museum has continued to collect various natural history materials, with the number of items in its collection surpassing 580,000 as of March 2024. Of these, more than 4,200 items are on permanent display. The museum features an extensive collection of fossils from around the world, including meteorites, dinosaurs, and ammonites, as well as specimens of local plants and animals. The exhibits are rich in real fossils, including 90% of the dinosaur fossils, and offer hands-on displays, as well as sections focused on the discovery of plants, animals, fossils, and rocks in Aichi Prefecture.

The museum is divided into three main exhibition halls: Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Highlights include the Edmontosaurus Exhibit Hall, featuring a full skeleton of a dinosaur comprised of 90% real fossils, the Galápagos Story Exhibit Hall, showcasing a diorama of the Galápagos Islands, famous for Darwin’s theory of evolution, and the Local Nature Exhibit Hall, introducing the nature and research history of the Higashi-Mikawa region, including Toyohashi City.

Each exhibit offers quizzes and games to help visitors of all ages learn about Earth’s history and the evolution of life from its beginnings to the present day. The Special Exhibition Room (Large-Scale Film Theater) hosts special exhibitions once or twice a year, and at other times, it screens 4K 3D films related to dinosaurs and nature on one of Japan’s largest screens. Outside the museum, the “Outdoor Dinosaur Land” features ten life-sized dinosaur models, including a parent-and-child pair of Brachiosaurus, making it a popular photo spot.

Enjoy the Region’s Largest Display of Nature Through the Seasons and a Tropical Jungle at the “Botanical Garden Corner”

The Botanical Garden Zone features a “Large Greenhouse” where you can enjoy colorful and exotic plants as if you’ve stepped into a tropical jungle, and the “Grand Flower Bed & Outdoor Botanical Garden Zone,” where you can relax among about 50,000 seasonal flowers and greenery.

The Large Greenhouse, which is a symbol of the botanical garden, covers approximately 2,700 square meters and houses about 850 species of tropical and subtropical plants. The greenhouse consists of seven planting exhibition areas, including some of Japan’s most famous plants such as banyan trees, papayas, bananas, cacti, water lilies, passion fruit, and vanilla. Additionally, you can see epiphytes, unique plants that grow on trees or rocks without rooting in the soil. The “Event Room” also hosts participatory events and exhibitions based on plant themes.

The Outdoor Botanical Garden Zone includes an 1,100-square-meter grand flower bed with about 10,000 marigolds, tulips, and other flowers, the “Children’s Sakura Plaza” with over 30 varieties and 100 cherry trees, and the “Hometown Woodland,” where you can see plants native to Aichi Prefecture, including endangered species. The zone features 11 outdoor exhibition areas in total, allowing visitors to enjoy different highlights with each season.

In the “Water Lily Garden & Monet’s Corner,” you can view water lilies received from Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France, to commemorate the opening of the botanical garden in 1996. In summer, various tropical water lilies bloom beautifully here.

Fun for All Ages at the “Amusement Park Zone”

The Amusement Park Zone offers 13 different attractions that can be enjoyed by both children and adults, including classic amusement park rides like the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, shooting attractions, and a kids’ coaster.

In 2016, the park opened the “Nonhoi Circuit,” where you can enjoy a full-fledged racing experience with sports karts. This is the first time in Japan that a circuit has been integrated with a zoo and amusement park! At Nonhoi Circuit, children as young as second graders can ride the “Junior Kart,” while adults can enjoy the “Adult Kart.” The circuit has a 400-meter-long kart-only course where you can experience the thrill of being a real racer. The circuit also features remote speed adjustment and a speed system tailored to your skill level, ensuring a safe and fun experience for everyone.

There are also kart experience events for beginners and time attack events where children can aim for top rankings to see how fast they can go!