I used to place a huge emphasis on food whenever I visit Japan in the past. Not that I don't anymore. In fact, I still do. But I find that having close encounters with animals is becoming my main priority. I'm so glad to be able to unlock a new achievement - feeding squirrels!
During this trip, I managed to feed lions, bears, monkeys, rabbits, squirrels, elephants, goats, kangaroo, sheep, camels and ducks. These kind of feeding experiences can never be found in Singapore itself.
Personally, the highlight of this trip is the 九州自然動物公園 (African Safari Wildlife Park @ Beppu). It is a MUST GO attraction if you are a huge fan of animals. This isn't just like any other typical zoos, I was blown away on my first visit and this place still never fails to amaze me on my second one there. The price increased after 2 years and the place definitely has a larger crowd compared to the past.
#LAZYBUM
I can probably go on and on about how awesome this park is, but I have already done that before 2 years ago and you can read it here: http://mons-diary.blogspot.sg/2015/05/kyushu-japan-trip-day-3-african-safari.html
Pro tip #1: Be quick when you are feeding these animals, and you might have to multitask holding your phone with your lefty and tongs with your righty. The tram only stops at short intervals.
Pro tip #2: The green pellets are for the goats and camels which will appear quite a few times, so be sure to save some for the later part!
On my second visit, I managed to visit the dog and cat petting session which I have missed previously. We paid about 500 yen/pax to get a close-up experience with dogs and cats (Separate location). I personally enjoyed my time with the dogs much more than the cats. You know one thing about cats is that they are always so unfriendly. Dogs are definitely more welcoming and they don't mind cuddling on your lap.
Another memorable part of my animal feeding experience is at 湯布院 Yufuin, which is a small town area filled with souvenir shops and also a beautiful lake at the back of the town. Since it was day 1 of my trip, I was already excited to have feeding opportunities with ducks and sheep. Who knows.. there' was a surprise waiting for me..
THERE ARE SQUIRRELS.
I was beyond excited because I never had any close encounters with squirrels before, they are generally very shy and quick so it's impossible to get close enough with them in the parks. This time round, we actually get to feed them nuts! Too adorable.
Another memorable session was actually unexpected, which was taken place at a Tamago Farm (We had Japanese Omelette Rice there).
We had no idea that the place had farm animals like goats (even BABY GOATS) and a cage filled with many cute bunnies waiting to be fed with fresh cabbages. The only downside was that the goats were restricted to a limited space as they were chained with a rope at its collar. The environment looks spacious without fences or cages but in fact, they were not allowed to roam freely.
I tried my best to distribute the cabbage evenly among all the goats and one goat was particularly excited and greedy that it kept pouncing onto me to reach the piece in my hand.
I like how the bunnies rush to the food and take really small nibbles. And when you accidentally let go with a slightly larger piece of cabbage, the lucky bunny that managed to snatch that last piece will run and hide at some corner while some other bunnies chase it around. It's like watching a live cute comedy. #selfishbunnies hahahahaah. The rabbits were like, I ain't gonna share my food, shoooo.
I realize some animals are also really clever, and one amused us a lot at some other farm. Whenever we buy a packet of food, the flock will realize immediately and "queue up" for their turn. But this particular naughty sheep will re-queue and squeeze in between the rest to get a second or third serving.
I guess this sums up my overall experience of feeding different animals (More than 10 different types!)
If I ever have a chance to visit Kyushu again, these places will definitely be in my itinerary again.