Zao Kitsune Mura is a unique place in the northern region of Honshu Island, in the mountains of Miyagi Prefecture. More than a hundred foxes of six different species live here on a vast territory with its own sanctuary. Despite the fact that the animals are semi-wild, they are not afraid of people, because tourists often come here. You can not only look at the furry inhabitants of the village, but also touch them and even feed them.
In addition to the well-known red foxes, there are also silver, arctic blue, platinum, arctic dark and crossbred foxes, all of which you can find in Zao Village.
Those who think the idea of a fox hostel is cruel to animals need not worry, since the territory is quite large and the foxes have enough space to move around calmly. The foxes are also checked for disease once a year, in addition to other preventive measures. During the entire existence of the fox village, there was not a single case of infection.
In addition to the foxes, which number more than a hundred, you can also pet little kids, hares and ponies!
Zao Fox Village is located in Miyagi Prefecture, which is three hours from Tokyo by shinkansen (bullet train), and you'll also have to pay 3,500 yen to take a taxi to the village from the train station, so it's best to go there on the weekends.
Essentially, the fox village is a mini zoo with free range animals. Visitors to the park can not only move around the territory without fear, but also feed the charming chanterelles, taking certain precautions.
Despite the fact that the inhabitants of the park are practically tame and are not at all afraid of people, you should not forget that these are not domestic animals and close contact with them is not safe. The rules of communication are as follows: you should not feed animals by hand, approach sleeping animals or disturb them.
The fox village was opened to visitors in 1990. You can enter the magical red-brown kingdom for a modest 100 yen, which is less than 1 dollar.
On the territory of the zoo there is its own small shrine to the Japanese goddess Inari, the patroness of industry, worldly abundance, rice and foxes.
In Japanese mythology, Kitsune (the Japanese name for foxes) are the messengers and faithful companions of the goddess Inari.
