Apparently, Japan is covered in magical and irresistibly cute animal sanctuaries. We’ve heard about the bunny island and cat island, but there’s also a Fox Village, where six different types of foxes, including red foxes and the rare silver foxes, romp and play together in a battle for your attention (and probably for your food, too).
This magical oasis of cute foxes is called Zao Fox Village, and it’s located in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture. For 100 yen (or about 85 US cents), visitors are provided with food, but because the foxes are not domesticated, they are cautioned against hand-feeding them or bringing small children into the Fox Island.
As is the case in the West, foxes in Japan are considered to be sly tricksters. However, some in Japan also believe them to have mystical powers or that they are messengers of Inari Okami, the Shinto deity of fertility, prosperity, and rice. If you’re not convinced, you can check out these magical fox pictures! Scroll down to learn more about Fox Island and its fluffy mischevious inhabitants.
More info: japantravel.com (h/t: kotaku)
Image credits: Souctine
Source: fox-info
Image credits: Piccolist
Source: fox-info
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Image credits: Danny Villeneuve
Image credits: Tatsuro Shimono
Imgae credits: Handai Fox
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Image credits: ryooo007
Image credits: Momizi Lin (left) | Yik Yuh (right)
Image credits: Chi Nao
Image credits: Hiroto Ue
Image credits: Tatsuro Shimono
Image credits: Handai Fox
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Image credits: Maguny Annisin
Image credits: Cocotte Ms33
Image credits: Handai Fox
Image credits: yukino618
Image credits: Handai Fox
Image credits: Danny Villeneuve
Image credits: Gustav98se
Image credits: Gustav98se
Image credits: Mura Kumo
Image credits: toriruki akiru
At least I know, what does the fox say. (noone seen this comment coming)
Do you think that it would be bad if I just borrowed a fox and never give it back?
Rescue a Jindo or a Shiba. No puppy mills tho.
Load More Replies...I love foxes. I know they CAN be domesticated, and they are the perfect blend of cat and dog.
That's exactly what I was thinking! They, obviously, look more like dogs, but they have some cat-ish looks and ways... Close to perfection !
Load More Replies...Video is not so cute - i feel sorry for foxes . That way of feeding ... Looks like some foxes will stay hungry.
They look like the best-fed foxes I've ever seen - seriously, have you seen how skinny wild foxes normally are?
Load More Replies...I love them all but the white ones, I think also known as silver are so beautiful.
Load More Replies...Okey, If I'm about to smuggle something from Japan it would be this fox. I NEED THIS FOX!
Don't tell me your smuggling it in your underwear like the guy that smuggled the hummingbirds!
Load More Replies...Shiba Inus (a lot like foxes) are official national treasures in Japan. My Shiba granddog and my Japanese-speaking son could visit me!
Aww.... They have silver foxes.. ._. I shall take them home with me.
Well, they are actually red foxes... just changing coat, LOL Winter fashion, you know?
Load More Replies...This fox village is NOT cute. It is overpopulated. Many foxes are in cages too small for them to turn around. They're not fed or housed well. And it's been bad for years.
They are so floofy I just went into a cute coma. I may never recover. But that's OK.
This post should be taken down. Especially now that we know it’s not a nice place for these animals. They’re not supposed to be locked up and paraded for tourism.
This is NOT a fox sanctuary. There are Facebook postings that actually have video of the horrible conditions these animals live in.
The Japanese "fox village" is really just a glorified fur farm. You can buy items made of fox fur in their gift shop, and many of the foxes live in battery cages. There are also multiple reports of sick, injured, or "drugged" foxes, filthy cages, and frequent fights (foxes are generally solitary and don't like being housed with other foxes
If you want to see the reality of it, it’s a whole bunch of territorial animals fighting over the bits of kibble the guest get to give them, it’s in no way cute these wild animals are being held hostage, for the liking of you scumbags
Foxes here are treat badly. Shame on bored panda for publishing this!!
This fox village has a record of poor care for said foxes. So ensure you do your research and also prepare to see foxes fight because there hungry
Having seen the reviews on trip advisor I still decided to give it a go. Total regret. There's a reason they're using winter images. The foxes winter coats hides the state they're in with nourishment and there's only a select amount out. The rest are kept in small wire cages 5 at a time with youngsters among them. The place smells badly in the summer and the area that allows you to hold them screams sedation. If you care for animals don't give these people your money.
PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS PLACE. This place is very inhumane: too many foxes in small cages, and in the larger fenced area where they roam free, it is crammed full of foxes. Foxes are territorial animals, marking their areas by pee. The snow is pee soaked and the animals are constantly confronting each other for space, leaving tufts of fur and drops of blood everywhere. This living situation must be very stressful for them. They also have foxes you can hold to get a photo - this should not be a way for the promoted "wild" animals to be treated. I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the cuteness and excitement of seeing foxes, that is why I went. Then I got there and saw the reality. It was heartbreaking.
They have a deer city (Nara), the bunny island, kitty island, feline cafes, and now THIS??? I seriously need to move there! :)
You can just adopt a Fennec fox... They're legal to have as pets...
Load More Replies...L'humanisme se révèle à travers le souci que nous avons du bien-être des animaux.
Do they Kill them at any point ? It just sounds too great and caring to be true ......sorry , but with so many animal haters , I just can't help myself for thinking this !
Foxes are really cute but it takes a lot to care for them. My family got 2 foxes from a family friend in Michigan who raised them for their pelts. One of them was very tame, like a dog almost! They both stunk really bad, even after their scent glands were removed. I miss the foxes but I don't miss cleaning their pen every weekend. I would only recommend foxes to people who have a large outdoor space for them to run around in and who will be dedicated to keeping their pen clean. They live about as long as a dog or cat so it's a long-term commitment.
*meticulously counts all the foxes' tails in all the pictures* Everything seems to be in order here.
this is so wrong... they are fat and bored.. the ground is bare... foxes live in the bush... they cant dig because they have put wire grating there..... meanwhile the foxes are too many in a small space.... japan you have done it again
Why do they feed those poor foxes like this?? Do they get their kicks watching them fight over the food? The idea of a sanctuary is great, but I'm not impressed with their tactics...
This place is actually really cruel! http://dzaka.weebly.com/blog/le-village-aux-renards-au-japon-ny-allez-pas
don't like the way they fed them, many will stay hungry. No fresh water, that's terrible, such beautiful creatures, sad the way to live
So nice someone else can have the place to house unwanted animals as not sure if selling fox fur but i did love Cat island .
It sort of represents a multicultural society, what with one black fox and white fox, and the rest orangey brown.
I wonder how well this place is managed. All of the foxes look too overweight, and some of the grounds look like they need repaired.
I Love it, I think it great to see the care of these Foxes, they are so damn cute :) A safe place for all those cute little foxes :)
They are such beautiful creatures!! It's great to see them safe & well cared for!
I love that folks recognize how wonderful the foxes are and that they are a tonic for people visiting them.
sad they arent in the wild and are being feed like they have to scavenge
Im worried about them becoming domesticated. If people keep coming to feed them then they will eventually stop looking for food on their own
Not healthy for so many animals of the same species sharing such a small habitat.They will end up like the Japanese people in cities STRESS.
Foxy Loxy also enjoyed car rides and would hang his head from the window like a dog. He had a mind of his own, more like a cat as a pet.
In the 1970s My friend had a pet fox. He called him Foxy Loxy. He soon discovered that foxes are nocturnal & destructive to furniture.
Very nice photos and I would like to visit --- but are these future fur coats for people?
I don't find these photos "magical." I do not enjoy seeing wild animals trapped in a small space and forced to be dependent on humans.
Its still japan they probably still skin these animals alive so they can sell the fur to the US for coats
If you like foxes, it's definitely the place to go. Ineresting to see the coat varieties produced by interbreeding.
We, humans, break into forests and are destroying entire species. So horrible isn't it ? ... I'm sorry for you, seriously.
Load More Replies...At least I know, what does the fox say. (noone seen this comment coming)
Do you think that it would be bad if I just borrowed a fox and never give it back?
Rescue a Jindo or a Shiba. No puppy mills tho.
Load More Replies...I love foxes. I know they CAN be domesticated, and they are the perfect blend of cat and dog.
That's exactly what I was thinking! They, obviously, look more like dogs, but they have some cat-ish looks and ways... Close to perfection !
Load More Replies...Video is not so cute - i feel sorry for foxes . That way of feeding ... Looks like some foxes will stay hungry.
They look like the best-fed foxes I've ever seen - seriously, have you seen how skinny wild foxes normally are?
Load More Replies...I love them all but the white ones, I think also known as silver are so beautiful.
Load More Replies...Okey, If I'm about to smuggle something from Japan it would be this fox. I NEED THIS FOX!
Don't tell me your smuggling it in your underwear like the guy that smuggled the hummingbirds!
Load More Replies...Shiba Inus (a lot like foxes) are official national treasures in Japan. My Shiba granddog and my Japanese-speaking son could visit me!
Aww.... They have silver foxes.. ._. I shall take them home with me.
Well, they are actually red foxes... just changing coat, LOL Winter fashion, you know?
Load More Replies...This fox village is NOT cute. It is overpopulated. Many foxes are in cages too small for them to turn around. They're not fed or housed well. And it's been bad for years.
They are so floofy I just went into a cute coma. I may never recover. But that's OK.
This post should be taken down. Especially now that we know it’s not a nice place for these animals. They’re not supposed to be locked up and paraded for tourism.
This is NOT a fox sanctuary. There are Facebook postings that actually have video of the horrible conditions these animals live in.
The Japanese "fox village" is really just a glorified fur farm. You can buy items made of fox fur in their gift shop, and many of the foxes live in battery cages. There are also multiple reports of sick, injured, or "drugged" foxes, filthy cages, and frequent fights (foxes are generally solitary and don't like being housed with other foxes
If you want to see the reality of it, it’s a whole bunch of territorial animals fighting over the bits of kibble the guest get to give them, it’s in no way cute these wild animals are being held hostage, for the liking of you scumbags
Foxes here are treat badly. Shame on bored panda for publishing this!!
This fox village has a record of poor care for said foxes. So ensure you do your research and also prepare to see foxes fight because there hungry
Having seen the reviews on trip advisor I still decided to give it a go. Total regret. There's a reason they're using winter images. The foxes winter coats hides the state they're in with nourishment and there's only a select amount out. The rest are kept in small wire cages 5 at a time with youngsters among them. The place smells badly in the summer and the area that allows you to hold them screams sedation. If you care for animals don't give these people your money.
PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS PLACE. This place is very inhumane: too many foxes in small cages, and in the larger fenced area where they roam free, it is crammed full of foxes. Foxes are territorial animals, marking their areas by pee. The snow is pee soaked and the animals are constantly confronting each other for space, leaving tufts of fur and drops of blood everywhere. This living situation must be very stressful for them. They also have foxes you can hold to get a photo - this should not be a way for the promoted "wild" animals to be treated. I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the cuteness and excitement of seeing foxes, that is why I went. Then I got there and saw the reality. It was heartbreaking.
They have a deer city (Nara), the bunny island, kitty island, feline cafes, and now THIS??? I seriously need to move there! :)
You can just adopt a Fennec fox... They're legal to have as pets...
Load More Replies...L'humanisme se révèle à travers le souci que nous avons du bien-être des animaux.
Do they Kill them at any point ? It just sounds too great and caring to be true ......sorry , but with so many animal haters , I just can't help myself for thinking this !
Foxes are really cute but it takes a lot to care for them. My family got 2 foxes from a family friend in Michigan who raised them for their pelts. One of them was very tame, like a dog almost! They both stunk really bad, even after their scent glands were removed. I miss the foxes but I don't miss cleaning their pen every weekend. I would only recommend foxes to people who have a large outdoor space for them to run around in and who will be dedicated to keeping their pen clean. They live about as long as a dog or cat so it's a long-term commitment.
*meticulously counts all the foxes' tails in all the pictures* Everything seems to be in order here.
this is so wrong... they are fat and bored.. the ground is bare... foxes live in the bush... they cant dig because they have put wire grating there..... meanwhile the foxes are too many in a small space.... japan you have done it again
Why do they feed those poor foxes like this?? Do they get their kicks watching them fight over the food? The idea of a sanctuary is great, but I'm not impressed with their tactics...
This place is actually really cruel! http://dzaka.weebly.com/blog/le-village-aux-renards-au-japon-ny-allez-pas
don't like the way they fed them, many will stay hungry. No fresh water, that's terrible, such beautiful creatures, sad the way to live
So nice someone else can have the place to house unwanted animals as not sure if selling fox fur but i did love Cat island .
It sort of represents a multicultural society, what with one black fox and white fox, and the rest orangey brown.
I wonder how well this place is managed. All of the foxes look too overweight, and some of the grounds look like they need repaired.
I Love it, I think it great to see the care of these Foxes, they are so damn cute :) A safe place for all those cute little foxes :)
They are such beautiful creatures!! It's great to see them safe & well cared for!
I love that folks recognize how wonderful the foxes are and that they are a tonic for people visiting them.
sad they arent in the wild and are being feed like they have to scavenge
Im worried about them becoming domesticated. If people keep coming to feed them then they will eventually stop looking for food on their own
Not healthy for so many animals of the same species sharing such a small habitat.They will end up like the Japanese people in cities STRESS.
Foxy Loxy also enjoyed car rides and would hang his head from the window like a dog. He had a mind of his own, more like a cat as a pet.
In the 1970s My friend had a pet fox. He called him Foxy Loxy. He soon discovered that foxes are nocturnal & destructive to furniture.
Very nice photos and I would like to visit --- but are these future fur coats for people?
I don't find these photos "magical." I do not enjoy seeing wild animals trapped in a small space and forced to be dependent on humans.
Its still japan they probably still skin these animals alive so they can sell the fur to the US for coats
If you like foxes, it's definitely the place to go. Ineresting to see the coat varieties produced by interbreeding.
We, humans, break into forests and are destroying entire species. So horrible isn't it ? ... I'm sorry for you, seriously.
Load More Replies...
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