I love travel and I like Japan. I go there once or twice every year for my pilgrimage trip and then after that tour around Japan. I also like animals and you bet I visited Nara for the deers and Hiroshima for rabbit island. This time I want to play with the fox so I planned my trip for the Fox Village (The bathing with the monkeys in Nagano can wait)
Zao Fox Village can be done as a day-trip from Tokyo, although you need to ride the Shinkansen about 2hrs. There isn't bus to the Fox village so you'll have to take a cab which takes about 20 mins costing 4000 yen per trip
As Zao Fox village is not a normal zoo, the fox can be abit dangerous and there are cases where people has been scratched by them so there a warning sign before entering.
Although the star of the Zao Fox Village is definitely the foxes, they do have foxes and other animals such as rabbits, goats which they keep in an enclosure.
We entered the free-roam area after playing with the goats and rabbit. Snacks can be bought to feed the fox and rabbits at 200 yen for a small pack.
The weather was probably too hot for a mid-summer day, the foxes seems restless and just want to sleep.
There a lodge for resting if you're tired and you can throw the feed from above to feed the foxes.
They also have alot of fox-related souvenirs for sale.
If you are around Fukushima/ Miyagi /Sendai or Tokyo but considering a 1 day trip somewhere further away, why not come visit the foxes. I'm sure you'll have a great time over here.