Ueno Zoo

Last Saturday I didn't have any big plans, so I decided to go to Ueno zoo, the oldest Zoo in Japan.  I got to see some unusual animals!  And I learned some more Japanese animal names!

Of course there were pandas!

 Even though there was some thick glass, I felt a little nervous this close to a lion!

 Gorilla - just chillin.

 These lovebirds were so adorable!

 This is by far the strangest bird I have ever seen.

 Oh hey polar bear. This guy kept sniffing the air with his nose - polar bear noses are surprisingly movable.

 My lunch at the zoo was a sandwich with a panda toasted into the bread.  They were celebrating 40 years of having pandas.

 One side of the zoo had a huge pond, with many big office buildings in the background!

 This is a pile of naked mole rats.  It was squirmy and gross.

 Oh hai Mr. Meerkat.

 This is called a Palla's cat.  I thought it looked so fluffy and cute!

 This is a leaf-nose snake.  Pretty self explanatory, I think.

 Of course because it is Japan, there was a pagoda at the zoo!

After seeing all of the animals, I checked out the massive shopping arcade near Ueno station.  There were lots of things for sale, many types of fish and other foods, golf clubs, clothes, shoes.  Pretty much anything!