Zao Fox Village

The village opened in 1990 on a wooded hillside near Shiroishi and keeps around a hundred foxes of six species - mostly Japanese red foxes, with silver, platinum, cross and arctic foxes among them - in a large fenced enclosure that visitors walk into. The foxes are not restrained and move freely; there are also smaller pens for kits and for animals that do not do well in the group. The animals are habituated but not tame: they will come close, ignore you, occasionally scream at each other, and they do bite, which is why the posted rules matter - do not crouch, do not dangle bags or scarves, do not attempt to touch or pick one up, and feed only from the raised platform with the food sold on site. Winter is the season worth timing for, when the coats are thick and the foxes are on snow.

What you actually see

• A hundred loose foxes - six species in a large fenced hillside enclosure.
• Walking among them - visitors inside the enclosure, animals unrestrained.
• Feeding from a platform - the only permitted way, with food bought on site.
• Winter coats - the thick fur and snow that make December to March the season.

When to go

December to March for coats and snow. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The foxes bite and the rules exist for that reason - dangling straps and crouching invite it. There is no public transport; a taxi from Shiroishi is the usual way and should be arranged both ways. The enclosure smells strongly. Conditions are basic and the site divides opinion on animal welfare.

Nearby

Shiroishi and its castle are south-east; the Zao crater lake is west.