About a 20-minute bus ride from Machida Station, you'll find the Machida Squirrel Park in the area rich in nature, including Yakushiike Park. The zoo is home to around 200 Formosan squirrels kept in an enclosure, as well as other small creatures such as rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, and parakeets.

Machida Squirrel Park, which has been open for 37 years, is a Type B facility that provides continuous employment support under the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act. At the time of its opening, the mayor of Machida, who was focusing on welfare, wanted to create a place where people with disabilities could work, and the park was opened with the full cooperation of Squirrel Village, which once existed on Izu Oshima Island in Tokyo.

"Animal care staff and users (people with disabilities) work together to perform a variety of tasks every day, including customer service, cleaning, bagging food, selling food, and opening and closing the entrances to the enclosures."

These are the words of the school's director, Hiroo Tani.

The natural life of Formosan squirrels seen in the enclosure

The most attractive feature of Machida Squirrel Park is the Formosan squirrels. Entering the spacious enclosure enclosed by netting through a special entrance, you can get a close-up look at around 200 squirrels living freely.

After receiving gloves to feed the squirrels, I put them on and approached the nest box with a sunflower seed in hand. Hungry squirrels began to come one after the other. Watching them cradling the seeds in their little paws and munching away, I couldn't help but exclaim, "How cute!"

At Machida Squirrel Park, you can experience discoveries and relaxation only possible at this up-close encounter with the animals, such as seeing the squirrels sunbathing in nest boxes piled up together and hearing their unexpected cries of "crowding."

Warm management born from a commitment to life

"With the recent summer heatwaves, we are taking special care in caring for the animals. What we value most is respecting animals as lives, not as commodities," says Tani.

"Of course, we want our visitors to have a good time, but we also want the staff who work here to have a good time. We want to maintain an environment where the users themselves can feel a sense of fulfillment while valuing the lives of the animals."

Another thing that Tani values is creating an atmosphere where everyone can easily express their opinions and ideas. This approach has led to the creation of unique events that are not found at other zoos.

"The other day, we held an event called 'Discovery! Squirrel's Secret Dinner Party', which was suggested by one of our residents. The residents dressed up as chefs and prepared special dishes using seasonal fruits and nuts. The squirrels' expressions and eating habits changed with the different ingredients than usual, and it was very well received."

The unique perspective of users who interact with animals on a daily basis seems to support the friendly atmosphere at Machida Squirrel Park.

Our goal as a small zoo surrounded by greenery

Machida Squirrel Park is a popular spot that sees over 100,000 visitors a year. Not only locals, but people from all over the country, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, come to visit. In addition to group visits from kindergartens and schools around Machida and extracurricular activities, the park has also seen an increase in visitors from overseas in recent years.

The park is just the right size, taking about 1-2 hours to see everything. The space is soothing, surrounded by trees, that many repeat visitors have been coming for three generations since the park first opened.

"Machida's population and townscape have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Despite these changes, we hope that Machida Squirrel Garden will continue to be a relaxing place that brings comfort and tranquility to visitors."

At Machida Squirrel Park, you can feel the warmth of these tiny lives and the people who support them. Here you can find a warm space where you can relax and unwind from the stress of your busy daily life.

---

町田リス園
電話：042-734-1001
住所：東京都町田市薬師台1-733-1
アクセス：小田急町田駅北口21番バス乗り場より「本町田経由野津田車庫行（55系統）」または「鶴川駅行（53系統）」に乗車し、約20分。「薬師池」にて下車

*If you are coming by car, you can use the parking lot at the adjacent Yakushiike Park.

HP: https://www.machida-risuen.com/index.html
SNS: https://www.instagram.com/machidarisuen_official/

*For details on opening hours and closing days, please check the link above.