Posted by Jess
12 August 2010

Today we headed back towards the large city park where the National History and Science Museum is (that's the museum we visited on Tuesday) and went to the Ueno Zoo.  We took the Ginza subway line from Gaienmae station and got off at Ueno Station on the same line - its about 13 stops.  This is a city zoo that's really reasonable - 600 Yen for Jay and I (about $8 each) and then free for the girls.  The zoo has a lot of animals and a monorail too, so we thought it was a pretty good deal for $8 each.
 


We got to the zoo around 10:30am and headed out to explore the large animals like lions, tigers, elephants and gorillas.  Abby really liked the elephants!




After that we stopped for a picnic lunch - PB&J sandwiches and apples (plus a Diet Coke for me from the vending machine - but vending machines are for another post!). 



After lunch we headed onto the monorail across to the west side of the park.  The girls enjoyed the ride but I think we sat on the wrong side as our view was more outside of the zoo than in it.

waiting for the monorail

We stopped by the penguins and kangaroos and then Jay and Ella went into the small mammal house where they saw mice, rabbits and bats.
 

Abby and I headed to the concession stand to get everyone ice cream.  The mammal house was alot bigger than I thought though and Ella and Jay's ice cream was soup before they came out!  It was over 90 degrees here after all. 


While Jay and Ella were eating their ice cream soup, there was a lot of activity coming from the rhino area.  The baby rhino was running around and playing.  I have been to a lot of zoos and had never seen rhinos this active so I wanted to take a video!  By the time Ella finished her soup, he was done playing and just hanging out so I missed the opportunity.  Maybe next time.  We looked at the kuppa (hippopotamus), the sea lions, the zebras, the giraffes and the mountain goats while it started to sprinkle a little.   



Then we headed into the vivarium where it was all reptiles from all over the world.  Things that did not look cuddly and some things we've never seen before!  The signs over each case had pictures of what each reptile ate and Ella really liked learning about the animals that way.   We ended at the Galapagos Tortoises. 

the elusive zoo staff!  a rare photo!!

Ella's Tortoise Pic from Jay's Shoulders

 At that point it started to rain a bit harder so we headed through the lagoon area and out the west gate of the park, back to a different train station and towards home.  This time we took the Ginza line again but one stop up - the Ueno Hirokoji station back to Gaienmae.  Abby passed out in the stroller on the walk back to the station and slept the whole ride home.  A quick stop at the grocery store for dinner items and one stop at the home store for some organizational needs and we went home.  Ella watched Nemo for the umpteenth time while Jay and I finished up the little we had left to put away and made dinner.  During dinner, Jay and Ella were talking about who would win tonight's game of Candyland.  Who knew you could trash talk over Candyland?  So after baths and Abby's bedtime, Candyland it was and Jay won one and I won the other.  As Ella says, "Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose".

A long day, but a good one on all accounts.  We'll head back to the zoo sometime (we missed the petting zoo area and a few other things).  Couldn't have asked for better behaved kids with how hot it was!  More adventures on Friday as we're still getting settled (although not as fun as the zoo). 

Kanpai!
Jessica