AlpsPark, Nature park and zoo in Matsumoto, Japan.
AlpsPark is a nature and animal park located on the northwestern hills of Matsumoto at approximately 800 meters elevation. The facility features a nature museum, observation platform, and enclosures housing various animal species.
The park's museum lineage began in 1939, when Matsumoto set up a mountain room in the Matsumoto Memorial Hall, now the Matsumoto City Museum. The Alps Mountain Hall opened in 1975 and was rebuilt as the Mountain and Nature Museum, which opened on 3 May 2007. In fiscal 2007 the park was extended northward to about 71 hectares, adding an east entrance car park for 466 vehicles.
The small zoo Koritori to Koshogbutsu no Mori was built to mark the 70th anniversary of Matsumoto's incorporation as a city; it keeps monkeys, foxes and raccoon dogs, and many small birds whose calls visitors can hear. The park is also known as Matsumoto Alps Park to distinguish it from the Kokuei Alps Azumino Park.
The park lies in the Ariake district of Matsumoto, about 25 minutes by car from the Matsumoto interchange of the Nagano Expressway. The direct bus from Matsumoto Bus Terminal takes about 20 minutes but runs only twice a day, at 10:00 and 14:00. Otherwise use the Shinano University Hospital or Yamashiroguchi lines and walk about 30 minutes from the Fushiko High School rear or Kita-Arizaki stops.
The Dream Coaster is a bobsled-type ride open from March to December, with a 630 m descent and a 365 m return track, 995 m in total. Riders stay on the sled on the way back up to the start, which is rare for this kind of ride. Photos taken during the run are sold via a mobile barcode reader.
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