Asahiyama Zoo’s Penguin Walk: When Does It Start? Winter Hours, Closed Days, and Snow-Day Parking [2026-27]

Asahiyama Zoo (Asahikawa City) opens for the winter season starting Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The 2026-27 winter opening period runs from November 11 to December 29, and, with the New Year’s holidays in between, from January 2 to April 7, 2027 (Asahiyama Zoo, “Event & Opening Calendar”). As of September 30, 2026, when this article was written, the official start date for the winter signature event, the Penguin Walk, for the 2026-27 season has not yet been announced. Since it’s an event that begins based on snow conditions, this article separates the already-announced opening period, closed days, parking, and access from the actual record of the previous (2025-26) season.

All sources here were checked on 2026-09-30. We include only information confirmed on the official Asahikawa City Asahiyama Zoo website, and clearly mark items for the 2026-27 season whose dates haven’t been announced yet as “not yet announced.”

When Does Asahiyama Zoo’s Winter Season Start? For 2026-27, November 11 to December 29, Then January 2 to April 7

Asahiyama Zoo’s opening periods are divided by season. According to the official opening calendar, the 2026-27 winter season falls into two blocks: “Wednesday, November 11 to Tuesday, December 29, 2026” and “Saturday, January 2 to Wednesday, April 7, 2027.” Opening hours for both are 10:30 to 15:30, with last entry at 15:00 (Asahiyama Zoo, “Event & Opening Calendar”). Compared with the summer season’s (May to mid-October) hours of 9:30 to 17:15, winter opening hours themselves are shorter.

In early February, tucked in between, a “special opening” with extended evening hours is also planned. From February 5 to 7, 2027, the zoo will be open from 10:30 to 20:30, about five hours longer than regular winter hours (same calendar). If seeing the zoo at night is your goal, you can also build your itinerary around these special-opening dates.

Period	Opening Hours	Last Entry	Category
Nov 11-Dec 29, 2026	10:30-15:30	15:00	Winter opening (regular)
Dec 30, 2026-Jan 1, 2027	–	–	Closed
Jan 2-Apr 7, 2027	10:30-15:30	15:00	Winter opening (regular)
Feb 5-7, 2027	10:30-20:30	20:00	Special opening (extended evening hours)

When Is the Zoo Closed? New Year’s Holidays, Plus a Week for the Autumn-to-Winter Changeover

The zoo is closed from Wednesday, November 4 to Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Asahiyama Zoo’s official site states, “Closed from Wednesday, November 4 to Tuesday, November 10, 2026” and “Winter opening for FY2026 begins November 11 (Wednesday).” This period is used to switch over from summer to winter operations and for on-site construction and maintenance (Asahiyama Zoo, “About the FY2026 Summer Opening,” April 29, 2026).

There’s also a closure over the New Year’s holidays. The page detailing the Penguin Walk’s operating guidelines states clearly, “The zoo is closed from December 30 to January 1.” The opening calendar shows the same thing: the winter opening period breaks once on December 29 and resumes on January 2, pointing to the same closure. If you’re visiting Asahikawa in winter, plan your itinerary assuming you can’t enter the zoo from November 4-10 or December 30-January 1 (Asahiyama Zoo, “About the Penguin Walk’s Dedicated Area for Young Children’s Groups”).

When Can You See the Penguin Walk? As of September 30, the 2026-27 Season Hasn’t Been Announced

The Penguin Walk isn’t an event with a fixed start date. Asahiyama Zoo’s facility information page describes the Penguin House by saying, “Every year, once snow has piled up, we hold the ‘Penguin Walk.'” (Asahiyama Zoo, “Penguin House”). Since a natural condition, snow accumulation, is the trigger, it’s a different kind of information from the opening period, which can be fixed on a calendar ahead of time. As of when this article was written, the 2026-27 season’s start date and operating guidelines have not been posted on the official site.

The start date shifts from year to year. One of Asahiyama Zoo’s keepers wrote in the zoo’s diary blog, “The latest the Penguin Walk has ever started was December 28” (written January 7, 2024). The point is that since the timing of permanent snow cover varies year to year, some years it starts within November, and other years it slips as late as the end of December (Asahiyama Zoo, “Pirika Released Alone”). Checking the official site’s “News & Blog” section right before you leave is the surest way to know.

Timing, Frequency, and Route From the 2025-26 Season’s Actual Record

As the most recent record, let’s check the 2025-26 season’s guidance. In its notice “About Holding the Penguin Walk,” Asahiyama Zoo gave the planned implementation period as “Thursday, December 18, 2025 through mid-March 2026 (planned daily, until the snow is gone).” Start times were twice a day, the first at 11:00 a.m. and the second at 2:30 p.m. From March onward, since the penguins enter their molting period, it drops to just the one 11:00 a.m. session (Asahiyama Zoo, “About the Penguin Walk’s Dedicated Area for Young Children’s Groups”).

The walking route is a round trip of about 500 meters along the zoo path between the Penguin House and the area near the Event Hall. Depending on the penguins’ condition or snow conditions along the route, sudden cancellations or changes can happen (same page). Visitors are asked not to use flash photography, not to step onto the walking route, and not to touch the penguins or throw snow at them. It’s reasonable to expect the basic framework of timing, route, and etiquette to stay largely the same for the 2026-27 season, but these aren’t confirmed figures.

Summary Table: Winter Opening, Closed Days, and the Penguin Walk

Here, we split everything covered so far into confirmed information for the 2026-27 season and the reference record from the 2025-26 season.

Item	2026-27 Season	Status
Winter opening period	Nov 11-Dec 29, 2026; Jan 2-Apr 7, 2027	Officially announced
Opening hours	10:30-15:30 (last entry 15:00)	Officially announced
Closed days	Nov 4-10, 2026; Dec 30, 2026-Jan 1, 2027	Officially announced
Special opening (evening)	Feb 5-7, 2027, 10:30-20:30	Officially announced
Penguin Walk start date	Not yet announced (2025-26 season started Dec 18)	Unannounced as of 2026-09-30
Penguin Walk times	Reference: 2025-26 was 11:00 & 14:30 (11:00 only from March)	2025-26 season record
Admission (individual, regular rate)	¥1,000 adults, free for junior-high age and under	Officially announced

Pre-Trip Checklist

• Confirmed your travel dates fall within the winter opening period (Nov 11-Dec 29, Jan 2-Apr 7)
• Confirmed your itinerary doesn’t overlap with the closed days of Nov 4-10 or Dec 30-Jan 1
• Understood that the Penguin Walk’s start date is unannounced, and planned to check the official site’s “News & Blog” right before departure
• Planned to confirm the walk’s exact times through on-site signage or the day’s schedule notice, since timing can vary year to year
• Decided whether to time your visit around the evening special opening (Feb 5-7, 2027)
• Factored in travel time from Asahikawa Airport or central Asahikawa

Is Winter Parking Available? Free Parking Capacity and Snow-Clearing Operations

Asahiyama Zoo’s own parking is free: about 200 spaces at the Main Gate and about 300 at the East Gate, plus accessible parking spaces and a bus-only lot. On top of that, private parking lots around the Main Gate and West Gate add up to roughly 1,100 more spaces, with a daily cap of ¥500 where fees apply (Asahiyama Zoo, “Access”). There’s no seasonal breakdown of capacity, and we found no notice suggesting the number of spaces shrinks in winter.

In winter, Asahiyama Zoo recruits staff to handle snow clearing and path maintenance (a fiscal-year appointed staff recruitment notice dated September 28, 2026, Asahiyama Zoo, “News & Blog”). Snow clearing on the grounds and in the parking lots is a routine, ongoing task, but the official site doesn’t spell out road conditions right after heavy snowfall or whether parking might become temporarily unavailable. If you’re leaving the day after heavy snow, check the day’s conditions through the official site’s notices or by phone (0166-36-1104).

How Far Is It by Car From Asahikawa Airport or Central Asahikawa?

From Asahikawa Airport to Asahiyama Zoo, it’s about 25 minutes by car (about ¥3,500 by taxi). A route bus connects the airport and the zoo, but it only runs on weekends and holidays during the summer opening period, and doesn’t run in winter. From central Asahikawa, it’s about 30 minutes by car from Asahikawa Station, or about 40 minutes by route bus (Asahiyama Zoo, “Access”). By expressway, it’s about 10km / about 20 minutes from Asahikawa-Kita IC, and about 17.9km / about 30 minutes from Asahikawa-Takasu IC (same page).

For vehicle types and pickup locations if you’re renting a campervan at Asahikawa Airport, see our article on how to rent a campervan at Asahikawa Airport; for companies that rent out of central Asahikawa, see our article on the 6 companies renting campervans in Asahikawa.

Where to Stay in Asahikawa in Winter? Check Alongside Our Campervan Guide

For overnight parking spots and shopping information built around Asahiyama Zoo, see our Asahikawa & Asahiyama Zoo campervan guide. That guide doesn’t note winter opening hours or closed days, so when you’re building your itinerary, read it together with the opening period and closed days covered in this article. For places you can do overnight parking in Hokkaido during winter, our article on 13 RV parks and Michi-no-Eki that offer winter overnight parking checks each one against its official site.

You could also combine this with the Asahikawa Winter Festival, paired with a campervan trip, also held in Asahikawa in winter. The ice sculpture venue and Asahiyama Zoo are close to each other within the city, and plenty of visitors cover both in a two-day, one-night trip. For cold-weather precautions and in-vehicle play when traveling with kids in winter Hokkaido, see our article on winter campervan trips with kids.

Related Pages

• Asahikawa & Asahiyama Zoo Campervan Guide: Rental Bases, Mt. Daisetsu, and a Complete Shopping Guide [2026 Edition]
• Asahikawa Winter Festival x Campervan: Complete Guide to Ice Sculptures and Venue Access
• How to Rent a Campervan at Asahikawa Airport: Your Gateway to Furano, Biei, and Mt. Daisetsu [2026 Edition]
• 6 Companies Rent Campervans in Asahikawa: Shuttle Service and Pet Policies
• Where Can You Do Overnight Parking in Hokkaido in Winter? We Checked 13 RV Parks and Michi-no-Eki, One by One, on Their Official Sites
• Winter Campervan Trips With Kids: Cold-Weather Precautions, In-Vehicle Play, and Health Management [2026 Edition]

Featured photo: 欅 (Keyaki), “Asahiyama zoo Penguin” (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)