Ueno Zoo

We're not totally comfortable with the idea of zoos. S and I both teach Environmental Ethics in which we discuss the ethics of confining animals that would otherwise be wild. While there may reasonable justification for the existence of places which educate the public about endangered species, most zoos do not fit this description. For this reason, I've decided against taking J to the Kyoto Zoo, which gets poor reviews for animal care and education. Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, the oldest and largest in Japan, gets better marks, so we decided to check it out. It wasn't a fantastic zoo, but it does, as far as we could tell, attempt to interest people in protecting vital habitat for wild creatures. And it was fun to see J's reaction to various animals and plants.

Hey, these gibbons look a little like me.


Excuse me, but shouldn't this animal be in a cage?

Even the bear knows this isn't real ice. Atsui, desu neh!

Our favorite animals...

Afternoon snack. Doesn't everyone have pancakes in the afternoon?