Opinion
My dream trip led us to a famed zoo. It changed how I felt about Japan
By Gabriella Marcelline
I first visited Japan on a long-awaited trip with my best friend – a trip I’d dreamed of taking since I was 13 and addicted to anime.
With clean night streets illuminated by vending machines, quietly packed trains, and an electric buzz of urgency, it felt like stepping into a daydream – almost exactly as I had imagined.
An enclosure at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan.Credit: Gabriella Marcelline
But behind the matcha, cherry blossoms, shrines and Studio Ghibli, Japan has neatly disguised a reality that dismantles the idealised image many Australian tourists have of the country.
On one of my first days in Tokyo, I ended up at Ueno Zoo. As an animal lover, I usually avoid zoos without researching first.
But it was nearby, and recommended on Reddit. How bad could it be?
As soon as I stepped inside, I regretted it.
The energy of Ueno Zoo felt wrong.
A red panda behind glass at Ueno Zoo in Japan.Credit: Gabriella Marcelline
It hurt me to witness animals so intelligent in captivity, some pacing in unnatural patterns, confined to bleak concrete enclosures, huddled together in disheartening numbers, with no sign of enrichment.
I had fallen into a lazy, guilty tourist trap.
What struck me hardest as a South Asian person was an elephant seemingly under “zoochosis”, shaking her head over and over again, her trunk swinging back and forth like a metronome, a downcast, self-soothing gesture that laid bare her distress.
A fellow Australian tourist overheard my friend and I discussing these conditions. In a hushed voice, she summed up what we were thinking: “It’s naive, but I never expected this from Japan.”
Japanese macaques rest in the shade at Ueno Zoo to avoid the heat in Tokyo.Credit: AP
Ueno Zoo is not the only place in Japan where animal welfare standards appear poor.
It’s home to cafés with exotic animals such as nocturnal owls unnaturally tied to posts throughout a whole day, exhibits of fish crammed into unfiltered small bowls, zoos and aquariums with animals displaying abnormal behaviour and mental distress, and “animal parks” where animals rely on human presence and fight among themselves.
This is not to single out Japan as the epitome of animal cruelty in Asia.
Visitors take photos of giant panda Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.Credit: Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
As a Sri Lankan-Aussie, I would be remiss not to mention the exploitation of elephants and other animals I’ve seen firsthand in Sri Lanka and in other Asian countries. These standards are unacceptable everywhere.
Imagine the torment of being confined to a space where you’re prodded, stroked and posed for the fleeting amusement of strangers. In the end, you are little more than a living ornament whose small life will not be remembered once the tourists leave.
According to the British charity Wild Welfare, Japan remains well behind global standards in animal welfare for captive wild animals. Their laws are outdated, and many animals continue to live in inadequate conditions.
Where do we draw the line on cruelty being excused under the guise of novelty?
It can be easy to separate ourselves from the role we play in enabling these practices.
The money I spent visiting Ueno Zoo was a direct contribution to the problem. Just by showing up, we as tourists can validate and reinforce systems of animal cruelty. Every entry fee we pay and every social media post we share helps sustain the demand for these attractions.
In my opinion, Japan’s popularity has helped many of these attractions avoid accountability. Some outsiders consider the country host to an inherently honorable culture, which makes it harder to question or criticise practices that anywhere else would be seen as neglect.
Within Japan, there are voices calling for change, though they often go unheard.
Organisations such as the Japan Animal Welfare Society have reported serious issues at Miyagi Zao Fox Village, including overcrowding, untreated injuries, and fox-on-fox violence. PEACE (Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation) has been vocal in its opposition to all forms of animal cafés.
The problem isn’t silence; it’s whether anyone is listening.