By / MOOK HowToTrip Editorial Team
Hokkaido always offers many fun-filled activities and festivals in winter every year, including skiing, light displays, and snow festivals. This time, HowToTrip would like to introduce a rather unique winter event – the Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido. Open during the winter season, the zoo's cold-climate animals become most active during this time. Here you can see hard-to-spot cold-weather animals such as penguins, Arctic foxes, wolves, seals, and polar bears, which are not commonly seen in tropical regions. There’s also the incredibly adorable Penguin Parade, plus the chance to ride the Animal Train – making it a perfect festive outing for the whole family.
The most famous event at Asahiyama Zoo is the “Penguin Walk,” held annually from late December to mid-March (Image source / Asahiyama Zoo)
The Penguin Walk was initiated to address the issue of insufficient exercise for penguins in winter, and also reflects the wild king penguins’ natural habit of hunting in groups (Image source / Asahiyama Zoo)
During the snowy winter months, Asahiyama Zoo holds the Penguin Walk twice a day (Image source / Asahiyama Zoo)
The Asahiyama Zoo Train is a train service specially planned by Asahiyama Zoo for visiting guests (Image source / Hokkaido Railway Company)
The Asahiyama Zoo Train runs between Sapporo Station and Asahikawa Station on the JR Hakodate Main Line (Image source / Hokkaido Railway Company)
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