Ever dreamed of being surrounded by lots of fluffy foxes?  Well, Japan may just have perfect place for those wanting to get a little foxy!  Welcome to Zao Fox Village, a ‘zoo’ where over one hundred foxes roam free (albeit in an enclosed area).

You’ll find Zao Fox Village located in Zao City, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan. Getting here takes around four hours from the Tokyo area by car.  Using a combination of Shinkansen and taxi reduces the journey to about two hours.

Despite the village’s mountain-top location making for tricky access, tourists from around the world visit Fox Village every day to faun over the cute creatures. Interestingly, every time I talk about Fox Village, Japanese friends remark that they’ve never heard the name. American friends, however, know about this place with some having made the effort to visit.

Upon arrival at Fox Village, staff explain the potential dangers of interacting with the animals and how to protect yourself in the event of an attack, a not-so-cute reminder that, despite the enclosure, these are wild animals at heart.  After being issued with instructions, the first thing that you actually see are those foxes kept in a cage.

It might make for a sad sight to see foxes caged like this, but it was explained that some of the animals are sick or pregnant, while others have something of the ‘celebrity’ in them making interaction with wild foxes difficult and requiring them to be separated from the free-roaming area.  Visitors can see some rare breeds of fox in the village, many that this visitor had never seen before.  They were all so beautiful.

Had I arrived at the village earlier, I could have been allowed to hold one of the animals (and to have a photo taken, for 400 yen).  Staff allow visitors to hold specific foxes for about a minute to take photos, a few times a day.  Those who want to take advantage of this cute photo op should check the time schedule beforehand.

All well as foxes, visitors to Zao Fox Village can see bunnies, goats, ponies and there even seems to be a resident crow!  Carrots are available for purchase with which to feed the animals.

After playing with the goats and bunnies, I headed over to the main part of the “fox village”. Before opening the gate, a huge sign warns visitors that while this may be a zoo, it’s not your garden variety; we have to be aware we are entering into fox territory. It also says visitors cannot feed the foxes by hand, pet them or get too close to them because there’s a chance that they might attack.

So, yes, the fox village isn’t without its dangers, at the same time though, this visitor thought it very cool that the facility offers the opportunity to get close to these amazing animals.

We visited in early April when there was still some lingering snow.  In the cold most foxes were cuddling up and sleeping. A summertime visit will likely see the foxes be a little more active.  If I get a chance to come back to Fox Village again, I would like to visit here when it’s warmer!

Only in the designated area are you able to feed the foxes (100 yen).  Since most were sleeping, this area offered a rare opportunity to see the foxes active.  They can get really aggressive over the food!

For this visitor the Zao Fox Village was an amazing experience and one that can be recommended at least once in a lifetime. 

See the 'Fox Village' vlog on Viewster