If you spend any time at all browsing Instagram for wintertime Japan travel content, you’ve likely come across the Zao Fox Village during a doom scroll. Located in Shiroishi City on the Miyagi side of Mt. Zao, this gem up in the mountains is home to hundreds of Japanese foxes as well as a few other critters like goats to boot. Unlike with a traditional zoo, the foxes roam freely within the main enclosure. Though this does add an additional little bit of danger while visiting the Zao Fox Village, it’s also a dream come true for any animal lover who wants to get up close and personal with these adorable cuties.
Though Zao Fox Village is indeed open throughout the year, the best time to go is during the colder months of the year. The reason for this is simply that the space looks so much more enchanting when blanketed by snow. Though there are ample structures for the foxes to play on, the ground is rather barren, so if you’re obsessed with your Instagram aesthetics like I am, you’ll want to time your visit for when there is a lot of snow. After all, there is just something charming about the sight of a peacefully sleeping fox that is set against the background of powdery snow.
By the way, this article is going to be rather light on the photos. All throughout Zao Fox Village, you’ll see signs stating that any and all photography is for personal use only. Moreover, there are also many areas where snapping shots is prohibited entirely. While I certainly did indeed sneak a few shots of the incredibly cute foxes sleeping away the cold winter, this blog is a bit of a gray zone between “commercial” and “personal” use. Thus, to be on the safe side of things, I am going to use what little stock photography there is to enliven this article.
How to Get There
Before we get to the actual village itself, let’s take a quick breather to cover some key logistics. To get to Zao Fox Village, you’re going to first need to make your way up to this part of Miyagi Prefecture. There are a number of ways to do this but the easiest is to take one of the slower Tohoku Shinkansen trains bound for Shiroishi-Zao Station (be careful — Shiroishi Station is closer but not serviced by the bullet train). Alternatively, you can go directly to Sendai and change trains to a local line for Shiroishi Station — either way works.
Regardless of how you get to Shiroishi City, you’re going to want to make use of a scheduling tool like Jorudan or a similar service to calculate departure times and Shinkansen costs. Those with a Japan Rail Pass or other regional offering from JR East can easily make the trek up for cheap to this popular destination. That said, things get a bit pricey once you’ve arrived because you’re going to need to bite the bullet and take a long taxi ride if you don’t have a rental car of your own. Unfortunately, Zao Fox Village is located in the middle of nowhere, meaning that it’s hard to get to from the train station.
From the looks of it, there is a bus that will take you up to Zao Fox Village from the lowlands where Shiroishi-Zao Station and Shiroishi Station are. That said, you’re going to want to check the bus schedule online because if memory serves me correctly, there were only a few departures per day. Making matters worse, I think I also remember seeing departure times from Zao Fox Village that were less than ideal. Thankfully, the 5,000 yen cab fare isn’t too bad if you visit with a few others and can split the bill.
Note that workers at the gift shop are well aware that many people will be wanting to skip the bus and take a taxi back to Shiroishi-Zao Station. Thus, they’ve developed a system with the taxi companies whereby they will hail one for you for no additional fee. To ensure that poor drivers don’t come this deep into the mountains in vain, Zao Fox Village will request that you fork over a 4,000 yen security deposit while you wait that will be refunded once the taxi arrives.
On Dealing with Wild Animals
Just as with the feisty felines on Japan’s cat island and the rabbits of Okunoshima, the animals at Zao Fox Village are not your household pet. While it is indeed true that they aren’t in their natural environment, they are also wild animals. Thus, you’ll want to take extra care to ensure your own personal safety while you walk around Zao Fox Village. In fact, as you’ll be told immediately by the front office staff after coming through the entrance, the property assumes absolutely no responsibility if you happen to get a bite wound or something.
Generally speaking, adults will be totally safe as they meander about the primary enclosure at Zao Fox Village so long as they keep their hands to themselves and don’t try to pet any of the foxes. While they are certainly cute, you’re risking a serious bite if you put your hands in their personal space. Those traveling with children, though, need to be a bit more mindful as the foxes roam free here and the kids might not understand that these animals are not the same as Fido back home.
Though touching the foxes is definitely off the table at Zao Fox Village, you can actually interact with them in other ways. For example, you can give the cuties a treat in the centrally located feeding area. To do so, you’ll first want to buy food for 100 yen at the entrance. Then, from the safety of the feeding platform, you can toss the feed to the foxes below. While this takes some of the fun out of giving food to the animals, it’s for your own protection.
Worth the Trip From Tokyo Station
Since we’ve now thoroughly covered Zao Fox Village, I want to take a second to address a bit of controversy surrounding the place. According to some other travelers, the foxes are not really well cared for. In fact, I too was under the impression that they weren’t receiving the best care from the staff members until my recent visit as part of my five-day trip to promote the Tohoku Area Pass. Much to my delight, the rumor that there were too many foxes for the property to properly manage turned out to be entirely untrue as far as I could tell.
While I’ll admit that there may have been a time where the conditions at Zao Fox Village were much worse, this was not at all the case when I was there in 2024. Though you will find one fox here or there that has a few scrapes and bite marks from fighting its kin, people online often make it sound like the caretakers were actively abusing the animals or something. Thus, if you love foxes and are worried about what you might have read online, fret not, my friends.
Sadly, it seems like a number of people have put Zao Fox Village on blast over the years. As a result, the managing office has carefully curated its image, as people with an animal rights agenda often try to show the place in the worst light. These days, there are signs saying that photos are only for private use all over the location so that even people who don’t speak fluent Japanese get the message. Likewise, there are also warnings to the media about doing unauthorized hit pieces.
At the end of the day, while the signage really does get a bit annoying, Zao Fox Village is still a place that is worth visiting (though I would encourage you to consider somewhere else if there is no snowy carpet on the ground). Not only is the space great for the Gram, but it’s also the perfect excuse to head north to Tohoku and skip visiting the overcrowded likes of Kyoto, Miyajima, etc.
Other Nearby Attractions
While Zao Fox Village is actually a rather easy day trip from Tokyo, it would be a shame for you to come all the way to this part of Miyagi and not see what else is nearby. Though the fox sanctuary may indeed be the main attraction, there are many easy add-ons to this foxy facility. For example, immediately within the confines of Shiroishi City, you’ll find Shiroishi Castle. If you happen to be visiting in the latter half of March or early April, this and the neighboring duo of the Hitome Senbonzakura and Funaoka Castle are absolutely breathtaking during the cherry blossom season.
In addition to what is available in the immediate vicinity, know too that the city of Sendai is also not far away from Zao Fox Village. Especially for travelers with an applicable JR rail pass, it’s really easy to just hop on a bullet train over to Sendai from Shiroishi-Zao Station. When on my adventure for the Tohoku Area Pass, this is exactly what I did. Even if it’s only for some gyutan, a quick trip to Sendai after the Zao Fox Village is something that I would highly recommend. I’m not really picky when it comes to food, but Sendai’s gyutan is the best in all of Japan.
Until next time travelers…
