Zoos and Aquariums in Ehime: Adult Tickets From ¥600, Reservations and Closed Days Compared

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Ehime has four zoos and aquariums that are easy to compare: Tobe Zoo in Tobe Town, Niji-no-Mori Park Osakanakan in Matsuno Town, Dolphin Farm Shimanami in Imabari City and Nagako Aquarium in Ozu City. This guide compares them by adult ticket price, parking, closed days and reservations. Tobe Zoo is about 20 minutes by car from central Matsuyama. The other three are a longer trip, out on the Shimanami Kaido, in southern Ehime (Nanyo) or in Ozu.

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1. How do the four compare on parking, tickets and closed days?

Set by each facility

Nagako Aquarium has the fewest open days: it opens only on the third Saturday of each month, and you must reserve. Tobe Zoo is closed on Mondays, and Osakanakan is closed only on New Year’s Day. The table shows the adult price.

Place	Parking	Adult	Closed / open days
Tobe Zoo	¥300 for a car (about 2,000 spaces)	¥600	Mondays (next weekday if a holiday)
Osakanakan	100 cars, 4 large vehicles	¥1,100	January 1 only
Dolphin Farm Shimanami	Free (at the roadside station)	¥600	Closed in bad weather
Nagako Aquarium	Not stated	Not stated	Third Saturday only (reservation required)

Related article11 Indoor Spots in Tokushima for Rainy Days and Winter: Prices, Hours, Closed Days and the New Year Break

2. What do children pay, and which places have annual passes?

Set by each facility

Tobe Zoo is cheapest for children: ¥100 for elementary and junior high school students, and free under age 6. The table lists each place’s own age groups.

Place	Children	Young children	Annual pass
Tobe Zoo	Elementary and junior high ¥100, high school ¥200	Under 6 free	Adult ¥2,000, 65 and over ¥1,000, elementary to high school ¥500
Osakanakan	Elementary and junior high ¥500	From age 3: ¥300	Adult ¥3,000, elementary and junior high ¥2,000, young child ¥1,000
Dolphin Farm Shimanami	Age 4 and over ¥500	Not stated	Not stated
Nagako Aquarium	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated

3. How do I get to each one?

Set by each facility

Ehime’s zoos and aquariums are scattered outside Matsuyama City, and many are places you reach by car. Where you go decides which road you take and whether you can do it in a day.

• Tobe Zoo is about 20 minutes by car south of central Matsuyama on Route 33, and about 10 minutes from Matsuyama IC. By bus, take the Iyotetsu Bus Tobe Line from stop 3 at Matsuyama City Station. See the zoo’s access page (Japanese).
• Osakanakan is about 20 minutes by car from Mima IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, or a 3-minute walk from Matsumaru Station on the JR Yodo Line. From the Matsuyama side, change trains at Uwajima Station. See the park’s access map (Japanese).
• Dolphin Farm Shimanami is about 3 minutes by car from Hakatajima IC on the Shimanami Kaido. Free parking is at the roadside station Hakata S.C. Park. See the farm’s access page (Japanese).
• Closed days: Tobe Zoo every Monday, Osakanakan on January 1 only, Dolphin Farm Shimanami in bad weather, and Nagako Aquarium on every day except its public day.
• If you show a Tobe Zoo annual pass, the Osakanakan ticket is 20% off (see the zoo’s admission and parking page (Japanese)).

4. Tobe Zoo (Tobe Town)

Tobe Zoo costs ¥600 for an adult, ¥300 for age 65 and over, ¥200 for high school students and ¥100 for elementary and junior high school students. Children under 6 and people with a disability certificate are free. A group of 30 or more pays ¥480 for an adult, ¥160 for high school and ¥80 for elementary and junior high school (see admission and parking (Japanese)).

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If you drive, park in the car park below the zoo (300 spaces). When it is full, use the East car park (1,700 spaces), which has a shuttle bus. An ordinary car pays ¥300 per entry, and it is free if you leave the gate within 30 minutes. If you also use the car park of Ehime Children’s Castle on the same day, the parking fee at one of the two is waived.

By bus, take the Iyotetsu Bus Tobe Line from stop 3 at Matsuyama City Station, via Chifunemachi and bound for Ehime Children’s Castle. Get off at “Tobe Zoo-mae” (とべ動物園前). The same stop is reachable from Iyo-Tachibana Station.

To avoid a queue at the entrance gate, you can use an advance ticket sold at convenience stores. They are sold at Lawson and FamilyMart and are valid for one month from the day you buy them.

An annual pass, which lets you enter as often as you like for one year, costs ¥2,000 for an adult, ¥1,000 for age 65 and over and ¥500 for elementary, junior high and high school students. You apply at the management office and pay in cash only.

To mark the 27th birthday of Peace the polar bear in 2026, the zoo is selling a felt figure made from Peace’s fur and wool by lottery. It costs ¥19,800, and only 27 sets are made. You apply by return postcard (往復はがき) until October 31, 2026 (must arrive by that date), and handover starts on December 5 (see the zoo’s Peace news page (Japanese)).

Hours are 9:00–17:00, with the last entry at 16:30. The zoo is closed on Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a public holiday) and from December 29 to January 1. Address: 240 Uehara-machi, Tobe Town, Iyo District, Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県伊予郡砥部町上原町240). Phone: 089-962-6000. Google Maps

Name	Tobe Zoo
Address	240 Uehara-machi, Tobe Town, Iyo District, Ehime Prefecture
Hours / Closed	9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Closed Mondays (or the next weekday if Monday is a public holiday) and December 29–January 1
Phone	089-962-6000
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

5. Niji-no-Mori Park Osakanakan (Matsuno Town)

Osakanakan costs ¥1,100 for high school students and older, ¥500 for elementary and junior high school students and ¥300 from age 3, and it is closed only on New Year’s Day. A group of 20 or more gets 10% off, and people with a disability certificate pay half price (see the park’s Osakanakan page (Japanese)).

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The aquarium shows freshwater fish, mainly from the Shimanto River, and the ecosystem from the source to the river mouth. You can see the Akame, which lives at river mouths, the freshwater giant pirarucu, small-clawed otters, penguins and a crocodile named Daigoro that stands on two legs.

On weekends, public holidays and long school holidays, the penguin meal time is at 11:30 (about 10 minutes) and the otter meal time is at 13:30 (about 10 minutes). Both cost nothing beyond the admission fee. The otter snack time (10:05 and 15:30, ¥300 each, 20 people per session) is charged (see experiences and events (Japanese)).

The annual pass is ¥3,000 for an adult, ¥2,000 for elementary and junior high school students and ¥1,000 for a young child. A free audio guide explains the animals. You install the app from a QR code inside the building.

The car park is on the same grounds of Niji-no-Mori Park, with 100 spaces for ordinary cars and 4 for large vehicles. The official page does not state a parking fee (see business information (Japanese)).

Hours are 10:00–17:00. The aquarium is closed only on January 1. Address: 1510-1 Nobinono, Matsuno Town, Kitauwa District, Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県北宇和郡松野町大字延野々1510-1). Phone: 0895-20-5006. Google Maps

Name	Niji-no-Mori Park Osakanakan
Address	1510-1 Nobinono, Matsuno Town, Kitauwa District, Ehime Prefecture
Hours / Closed	10:00–17:00. Closed January 1
Phone	0895-20-5006
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

6. Dolphin Farm Shimanami (Hakatajima, Imabari City)

Dolphin Farm Shimanami costs ¥600 for an adult (junior high school and over) and ¥500 for a child aged 4 and over, and you can watch the dolphins from the pier. Guests staying at the auto campsite enter free, and a group of 20 or more gets ¥50 off per person. Pets on a lead can enter too (see the farm’s dolphin programs (Japanese)).

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There are three experience courses besides watching. Prices include the admission fee.

• Feed the dolphins fish: ¥2,000, age 3 and over, about 10 minutes. Reserve by phone, from one month before the day.
• Give signs to the dolphins and touch them from a platform: ¥6,600, age 4 and over, about 30 minutes. Reservation only.
• Swim holding a dolphin’s dorsal fin: ¥11,000, elementary school and over, about 60 minutes. Bring a swimsuit and a bath towel. Reservation only.

The touch and swim courses can be booked on the online booking site (KKday) from 6 months before the day. People with a chronic illness, pregnant women and people who have been drinking cannot take part. A course may be cancelled without notice because of the dolphins’ condition or bad weather.

By bus, take a bus bound for Omishima Miyaura Port from Imabari Station or Matsuyama City Station, and get off at “Hakatajima” (伯方島BS). From Honshu, take an expressway bus to Imabari from Fukuyama Station or Hiroshima Bus Center and get off at the same stop.

Hours are 9:00–17:00, and the farm is closed in bad weather. Address: 1673 Kanoura, Hakata-cho, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県今治市伯方町叶浦1673). Phone: 0897-72-8787. Google Maps

Name	Dolphin Farm Shimanami
Address	1673 Kanoura, Hakata-cho, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture
Hours / Closed	9:00–17:00. Closed in bad weather
Phone	0897-72-8787
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

7. Nagako Aquarium (Ozu City)

Nagako Aquarium belongs to Ehime Prefectural Nagahama High School, and it opens to the public on the third Saturday of each month from 11:00 to 15:00. The number of visitors is limited, and you must reserve online. Booking opens one week before, on the second Saturday at 8:00 (see the Nagahama High School page (Japanese)).

The coming public days are October 17, November 21 and December 19, 2026. You book on the aquarium’s booking site (Japanese). The school’s pages do not state an admission fee or parking.

Group visits are possible only on Thursdays from 10:10 to 10:40, because of the school timetable, and only for non-profit groups with an educational purpose. People visiting as tourists are asked to come on the third Saturday. A group first phones the school for advice, and after approval sends an application form by fax (see notes on group visits (Japanese)).

Name	Nagako Aquarium
Address	480-1 Nagahama-ko, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture (Ehime Prefectural Nagahama High School)
Hours / Closed	3rd Saturday of each month 11:00–15:00 (online reservation required; booking opens at 8:00 on the 2nd Saturday, one week before the open day)
Phone	0893-52-1251
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

8. Which one suits my plan?

If you want to keep a child’s ticket price low and walk through a large zoo, choose Tobe Zoo. Elementary and junior high school students pay ¥100.

If you want to see otters and penguins at meal time, choose Osakanakan. The times are fixed on weekends, public holidays and long school holidays.

If you want to get close to dolphins, choose Dolphin Farm Shimanami. Watching costs only the admission fee, and experiences are booked by phone or on the booking site.

If you visit both Tobe Zoo and Osakanakan, buy the Tobe Zoo annual pass first. It takes 20% off the Osakanakan ticket.

Hakatajima on the Shimanami Kaido and Matsuno Town in southern Ehime are far from Matsuyama City, so staying overnight is one way to do the trip. You can look at hotels and inns in Ehime on Rakuten Travel (Ad, Japanese).

Common questions

Do I need to buy tickets in advance?

At Tobe Zoo you can buy a ticket at the entrance gate, and also an advance ticket at Lawson and FamilyMart. The experience programs at Dolphin Farm Shimanami are by reservation, and Nagako Aquarium requires an online reservation.

Are they open in winter?

Tobe Zoo is closed on Mondays and from December 29 to January 1. Osakanakan is closed only on January 1. Dolphin Farm Shimanami is closed in bad weather, and Nagako Aquarium is open only on its public days.

Can I bring a pet?

Tobe Zoo does not allow pets. Dolphin Farm Shimanami lets you enter with a pet on a lead.

Sources (checked October 2026)

4 pages we checkedShow

• Tobe Zoo (Japanese): visitor information, admission and parking, access, Peace news
• Niji-no-Mori Park (Japanese): Osakanakan, experiences and events, business information, access map
• Dolphin Farm Shimanami (Japanese): dolphin programs, access
• Ehime Prefectural Nagahama High School (Japanese): group visits; booking site

Fares, hours and exhibits can change. The official pages are in Japanese. Photos of Tobe Zoo: Jeremy Hall (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0).