Tennoji park, Osaka

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Besides the serene park, which is a good palce to daydream (for a entrance fee), there is a tennoji zoo. Unless you have an Osaka unlimited pass, don't think of comng here - not really worth the entrance fee. It's a normal zoo, and the design of the zoo is meant to emulate the open, natural environment, which was nice. But the animals were not very well, and I kinda feel sorry for them. The giraffe was kept in an indoors enclosure, and that was that. They didn't have much space to walk around. But one thing made it interesting for me - and that was the penguin enclosure was out in the open. I never got to see pengiuns that close, given that my country's zoo is a tropical one and all penguins are keep in enclosed glass rooms.

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This park is mostly for young families. There are so many little kiddies running around here! What the kids love are the ankle-deep play-pools that look like rivers and waterfalls, except on a very shallow scale. There's also a stage in the center of the park for live entertainment, usually very loud and energetic singing and dancing by young men or women.

Please don't go to the Tennoji-Koen zoo. It is a miserable place for the animals. Smelly, cramped, and crowded with people.
The penguins had a small outdoor cage with blue and white colored plastic as fake Ice, and warm water that was only paddle-deep. Please choose not to support this place.
The good things about the zoo? Well,...we had fun making our own candy-floss! And we saw Flamengos for the first time.

Try to visit the park on a sunday afternoon. There are some stalls set up along the main road where you can enjoy the singing of amateurs. It is all very low class but Karaoke is the word in Tennoji park on a sunday.

A zoo is a zoo is a zoo... but it's been years since I've been to one, so I thought I'd take a look.
As zoos go, I wouldn't rate it high or low, but somewhere in the middle - but again, for a family afternoon, with the TennoJi temple and park right around the corner, it's an easy way to spend the day without walking forever.

Tennoji Park, with its spacious green areas, is situated near Tennoji Station. A zoo and an art museum are located within the park. The Shinsekai District in Tennoji is famous for its Tsutenkaku Tower. The district, home also to Festivalgate (an amusement park of urban design) and Spa World (featuring bathing facilities of ethnic designs), attracts many people. Tennoji is known not only for its modern attractions, but also for its historic features including ***ennoji Temple, said to be Japan's oldest official temple; and Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, commonly called 'Ebessan.' Sumiyoshi Grand Shinto Shrine, famous for its vermilion Taikobashi (Arched Bridge), is also located nearby.

The botanical garden in the Tennoji park is a populair spot for the locals to have a picknick. Just sit down and enjoy....