Quick answer: The best-known capybara hot spring in Japan is the “Original Capybara Outdoor Bath” at Izu Shaboten Zoo in Ito, Shizuoka. For the 2026–27 season it runs from November 21, 2026 to April 4, 2027, and the famous capybara yuzu bath (the 30th year of this tradition) starts on the winter solstice, December 22, 2026. Nagasaki Bio Park, Nasu Animal Kingdom, Saitama Children’s Zoo and Ishikawa Zoo also run winter capybara baths.
Few animal sights are as soothing as a row of capybaras sitting chin-deep in steaming water with citrus bobbing past their noses. This guide covers where to see it in the 2026–27 season, when the baths run, how to get there, what to expect, and the welfare questions worth keeping in mind. All dates and details come from the zoos’ own websites and press releases, linked throughout, and were checked on October 20, 2026.
Why Do Capybaras Take Hot Baths?
Capybaras come from the warm wetlands of South America. They are strong swimmers who spend much of the day in water, but Japanese winters are far colder than anything in their native range. A warm bath gives them a comfortable place to soak when an ordinary pond would be too chilly.
The tradition started by accident. According to Izu Shaboten Zoo, which has kept capybaras since 1966, keepers were cleaning the capybara enclosure with hot water in the winter of 1982 when they noticed the animals relaxing with their feet and rumps in the warm puddles. The zoo built them a bath, and the “capybara outdoor bath” has run every winter since.
Nagasaki Bio Park gives a practical reason too: in cold weather its capybaras don’t want to go into their pond, so their skin can dry out. The park built a stone bath from local rock partly to prevent that, and the capybaras took to it immediately.
Izu Shaboten Zoo: The Original Capybara Onsen
If you only visit one capybara hot spring in Japan, make it this one. Izu Shaboten Zoo (伊豆シャボテン動物公園, sometimes written “Izu Saboten”) sits on the Izu Peninsula in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It calls its event the “Original Capybara Outdoor Bath” (元祖カピバラの露天風呂), and 2026 is a big anniversary year. The zoo marks 60 years of keeping capybaras, the 30th year of the yuzu bath, and the 44th season of the bath since 1982, according to the zoo’s official announcement.
2026–27 Season Dates and Bath Times
| Item | Details (2026–27 season) |
|---|---|
| Season | Saturday, November 21, 2026 to Sunday, April 4, 2027 |
| Weekdays | One session: 13:30–14:30 |
| Weekends, public holidays and school holidays | Two sessions: 10:30–11:30 and 13:30–14:30 |
| Opening day | November 21 at 10:30: a keeper dressed as a bathhouse attendant greets visitors, and the capybaras “cut” a ribbon of braided green grass by eating it |
| Opening weekend bath | “Oni-yuzu” bath, with giant yuzu citrus floating in the water |
| Yuzu bath | December 22, 2026 (winter solstice) to January 11, 2027, twice daily |
| Nanakusa bath | January 7, 2027 (seven spring herbs) |
One detail to watch: the zoo’s school-holiday dates for the twice-daily schedule differ slightly between its pages. The capybara bath page and the September 10, 2026 press release (PDF, Japanese) list December 19, 2026 to January 11, 2027 and March 20 to April 4, 2027. The earlier news post gives December 22 and March 23 as the start dates. If you plan to visit on a weekday close to those dates and want the morning session, check the zoo’s schedule before you go. The zoo also notes that times can change or be cancelled because of the weather or the animals’ health.
Themed “Kawari-yu” Baths
Japanese bathhouses traditionally float seasonal items in the water, and Izu borrows the idea. After opening weekend, the zoo runs kawari-yu (special baths) on weekends, holidays and the winter and spring breaks, using items such as autumn leaves, yuzu, roses, apples and vegetables, according to its October 16, 2026 press release.
The Capybara Yuzu Bath Turns 30
In Japan, people take a yuzu-yu (a bath with yuzu citrus floating in it) on the winter solstice. The custom is said to keep colds away. Izu Shaboten Zoo first gave its capybaras a yuzu bath in 1996, and the press release says the event is now known overseas. For 2026–27 the yuzu bath begins on the solstice, Tuesday, December 22, and runs until January 11, 2027, with two sessions a day. It’s the most photogenic, and busiest, part of the season. The solstice falls on a Tuesday in 2026, so a weekday visit that day is likely calmer than the New Year holidays. Curious why citrus and capybaras keep turning up together? See our explainer on why capybaras like oranges.
Getting to Izu Shaboten Zoo
The zoo’s address is 1317-13 Futo, Ito City, Shizuoka 413-0231 (tel. 0557-51-1111). Its English visitor page gives these routes:
- By train and bus: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen or Tokaido Main Line to Atami, then the JR Ito Line to Ito Station. From Ito it’s about 35 minutes on a Tokai Bus (about 25 minutes by taxi).
- From Izu-Kogen Station: About 20 minutes by Tokai Bus or about 10 minutes by taxi.
- By car: About 85 km from Atsugi IC on the Tomei Expressway via the Odawara-Atsugi Road and Route 135, or about 55 km from Numazu IC. Paid parking is available for up to 400 cars.
Opening Hours and Tickets
The zoo opens year-round. Standard hours are 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30), and hours vary by season. Admission at the time of writing is 2,800 yen for adults (junior high age and older) on weekdays and 3,000 yen on weekends and holidays. Elementary-age children pay 1,400/1,500 yen and children aged 4 and up pay 700/800 yen. Card payment is accepted at the ticket gates. Check the zoo’s page for current prices before you travel.
Other Japanese Zoos and Parks With Capybara Baths
Izu Shaboten Zoo, Nagasaki Bio Park, Saitama Children’s Zoo, Nasu Animal Kingdom and Ishikawa Zoo belong to a “Capybara Outdoor Bath Agreement” and hold joint events. The best known is the annual long-bath contest, in which each zoo’s champion competes to stay in the water longest. At the 14th contest on January 10, 2026, Nagasaki Bio Park’s “Prune” (Purūn) won with 1 hour, 45 minutes and 18 seconds. Ishikawa Zoo’s entrant got out after just 17 seconds, according to the results published by Ishikawa Zoo.
Only Izu had published its 2026–27 dates when we checked on October 20, 2026. The details below come from each park’s official pages and describe their usual pattern. Confirm before you travel.
Nagasaki Bio Park (Saikai, Nagasaki)
Nagasaki Bio Park’s capybara outdoor bath runs every year from November 26 (a date chosen as a pun: 11/26 can be read ii furo, “good bath”) to the end of February, from 12:00 to 15:00. Viewing is free with park admission. Instead of yuzu, the park celebrates the solstice with a zabon bath, using the large pomelo-like citrus Nagasaki is known for. The stone bath has a small waterfall-style shower (utaseyu), and capybaras sometimes jostle for the best spot under it.
What makes Nagasaki different is how close you can get. There’s no barrier between visitors and the capybaras, and the park sells capybara food, so you can feed and touch them. The one thing it asks: please don’t get in the bath with them. The park also notes that capybaras may not bathe on mild days, so colder days are better. Opening hours are 10:00–17:00 (entry until 16:00).
Nasu Animal Kingdom (Nasu, Tochigi)
In winter, the Capybara Forest at Nasu Animal Kingdom gets its own hot spring. Last season it opened on November 25, 2025 with an apple bath and held a yuzu bath with a keeper talk on December 20–22, according to the park’s official blog. In February 2026 the park temporarily closed the Capybara Forest walk-through to protect the animals’ health. When we checked in October 2026, the park’s Capybara Forest page showed the area’s opening hours again, but capybara feeding was listed as paused. Check the latest notice before you go.
Saitama Children’s Zoo (Higashimatsuyama, Saitama)
Saitama Children’s Zoo is about an hour from central Tokyo and normally runs a winter “capybara onsen” in a large rock bath with a waterfall shower. However, the zoo’s capybara and wallaby area is being rebuilt from June 2026 to March 2027. The zoo has warned that exhibits may close during the work (official notice). Don’t assume the 2026–27 bath will go ahead as usual. Watch the zoo’s site for an announcement. Standard admission is 900 yen for adults and 200 yen for elementary and junior high students. Winter hours (November 15 to January 31) are 9:30–16:30, and the zoo is closed on Mondays (hours and fees).
Ishikawa Zoo (Nomi, Ishikawa)
Ishikawa Zoo has given its capybaras a winter bath, the “Capybara-yu,” every year since 2011. Last season it opened on November 24, 2025 and included a bath using Nomi City’s local Kokuzo yuzu, as reported by TBS News Dig. The zoo is a good choice if you are also visiting Kanazawa. Snow can occasionally close it in midwinter, so check its news page on the day.
In Tokyo: Anitouch Kichijoji
No time to leave the city? Anitouch is a chain of indoor animal-interaction venues run by the Izu Shaboten Zoo group. Its new Kichijoji branch, opened on October 19, 2026 two minutes from Kichijoji Station, is the first Anitouch with a capybara rock bath, according to the zoo group’s announcement. The opening adult price is 1,600 yen on weekdays and 1,800 yen on weekends and holidays, with no time limit. An indoor café-style venue is a very different experience from a zoo, though, so read our welfare notes below first.
Quick Comparison
| Place | Prefecture | Usual bath season | Citrus/solstice bath | 2026–27 status (Oct 20, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Izu Shaboten Zoo | Shizuoka | Late Nov to early Apr | Yuzu bath (30th year) | Confirmed: Nov 21, 2026 to Apr 4, 2027 |
| Nagasaki Bio Park | Nagasaki | Nov 26 to end of Feb | Zabon bath | Annual schedule published; check for changes |
| Nasu Animal Kingdom | Tochigi | Winter (late Nov onward) | Yuzu bath around the solstice | Not yet announced |
| Saitama Children’s Zoo | Saitama | Winter | Yuzu bath in past seasons | Uncertain: enclosure rebuilt until Mar 2027 |
| Ishikawa Zoo | Ishikawa | Late Nov to spring | Local Kokuzo yuzu | Not yet announced |
What to Expect on the Day
- Go on a cold day. Several zoos say their capybaras may skip the bath when it’s mild, so colder days give you the best chance.
- Don’t rush the start. Izu points out that capybaras can stay in the water for up to an hour. Crowds are thickest right as bathing begins, so arriving 20–30 minutes in often gives you a better view.
- Keep your voice down. Loud noises disturb resting animals. Izu asks visitors not to shout.
- Feed only what the zoo sells, and only where allowed. Never give capybaras your own snacks.
- Expect changes. Every zoo warns that baths can be shortened or cancelled because of the weather or the animals’ health. Have a backup day if you’re traveling far.
Welfare Notes: Is a Capybara Onsen Good for the Animals?
A warm bath in a well-run zoo is generally a sensible winter comfort for a heat-loving, semi-aquatic animal. In the setups described here, the capybaras choose whether to get in, and the zoos say openly that some animals stay out on warmer days. As a visitor, here’s what to look for:
- Choice: Capybaras should be able to get in and out freely and have dry, sheltered space nearby.
- Group living: Capybaras are highly social. A healthy setup keeps them in groups, as our guide to capybara social structure explains.
- Calm crowds: Rules on noise, flash, crowding and feeding are a good sign that staff are managing visitor pressure.
- Willingness to cancel: When a zoo pauses a bath, closes a walk-through or stops hand-feeding for the animals’ health, as Nasu did in 2026, it’s putting welfare ahead of crowds.
Indoor animal cafés and touch venues are a different case. They can be noisier and more hands-on than a zoo enclosure. If you visit one, choose venues that limit handling, give animals space to retreat, and show their animal-business registration (Japanese law requires one). Capybaras are gentle but still large wild animals, and they can bite if stressed.
If the trip makes you want a capybara at home, read our guides to keeping a capybara as a pet and capybara laws by state first. Not traveling to Japan? Our guide to zoos with capybaras lists US options by state.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the capybara hot spring season in Japan?
Generally from late November to early spring. At Izu Shaboten Zoo, the 2026–27 season runs from November 21, 2026 to April 4, 2027. Nagasaki Bio Park’s usual season is November 26 to the end of February.
When is the capybara yuzu bath in 2026?
At Izu Shaboten Zoo it starts on the winter solstice, December 22, 2026, and runs until January 11, 2027, with sessions at 10:30 and 13:30. The 2026–27 season is the yuzu bath’s 30th year. A special “nanakusa” (seven herbs) bath replaces it on January 7, 2027.
Where did the capybara onsen start?
At Izu Shaboten Zoo in Shizuoka. Keepers noticed in the winter of 1982 that the capybaras enjoyed puddles of hot water left from cleaning, and the zoo has run a capybara bath every winter since.
Can I touch the capybaras in the hot spring?
It depends on the zoo. Nagasaki Bio Park has no barrier around its capybara area and sells food so visitors can feed and touch the animals (but not bathe with them). At Izu you watch the bath from the viewing area. Always follow staff instructions.
Is there a capybara onsen in Tokyo?
The zoos above are all outside central Tokyo. Saitama Children’s Zoo is the nearest, but its capybara area is being rebuilt until March 2027. In the city itself, Anitouch Kichijoji, opened in October 2026 by the Izu Shaboten Zoo group, has an indoor capybara rock bath.
Want more capybara reading before your trip? Browse our capybara facts, find out why capybaras are so chill, or check our capybara FAQ.
Sources: Izu Shaboten Zoo (bath page, English page, visitor information and 2026 press releases), Nagasaki Bio Park, Nasu Animal Kingdom, Saitama Children’s Zoo / Saitama Prefectural Park and Green Space Association, Ishikawa Zoo, and TBS News Dig. Last checked October 20, 2026. Schedules can change, so always confirm with the zoo before you travel.
Featured image: capybaras bathing at Saitama Children’s Zoo, by Doricono via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped).