Kusatsu Tropical Wonderland, zoo in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, Japan

Kusatsu Tropical Wonderland is a zoological park set at 1,165 meters elevation featuring a 15-meter-high tropical dome where visitors observe various animal species in recreated jungle environments. The facility houses over 250 species and 1,000 animals, including capybaras, lemurs, marmosets, and numerous reptiles, with designated feeding and interaction zones throughout.

The zoo opened on October 10, 1970, as Japan's first high-altitude tropical animal sanctuary in mountainous Gunma Prefecture. This founding represented an innovative approach to maintaining tropical wildlife in a cold mountain region.

The zoo's name, Kusatsu Tropical Wonderland, pairs the hot-spring town with a tropical zone kept warm by onsen heat. The Monkey Paradise enclosure, built on April 29, 1988, includes an open-air hot spring bath where Japanese macaques soak in winter. The collection also holds Japan's first exhibited frilled lizard and Hercules beetle.

The zoo is in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, and is reached by car or bus; parking is available on site. The grounds are divided into five zones: the main building, the reference museum, outdoor exhibits, the tropical dome, and the animal contact hall. The tropical dome is 15 meters high and has three levels, so allow time to walk through it. The animal contact hall opened in July 2024 in front of Monkey Paradise.

Fish therapy sessions let visitors experience natural hand and foot treatments from Garra rufa fish while observing the extensive reptile collection. This combination of wellness activity and animal encounter is an unusual addition to a typical zoo visit.