What to know
The crested ibis, known as toki in Japanese, is a national symbol that once vanished from Japan but now thrives again on Sado Island. Toki Forest Park (トキの森公園, Toki no Mori Kōen) is a conservation center and museum where you can see these rare birds and learn about efforts to boost their numbers.
Starting in the Meiji Period, the birds suffered from overhunting, habitat loss, and reduced food due to agricultural chemicals. In 1981, the last wild toki on Sado were captured for a breeding program that ultimately failed when the final native bird died in 2003. A new program using birds donated from China proved more successful.
The park features an exhibition hall dedicated to the crested ibis and its history. It also includes several enclosures, mostly off-limits, where toki are bred and a few other ibis species are kept. A short walk away, the Toki Fureai Plaza (included in admission) is a semi-natural enclosure where a toki family is on display.
Since 2008, Toki Forest Park has been releasing crested ibises into the wild. Today, several hundred toki live wild on Sado, with more released each year. With luck, you might spot them around the island's rice fields.
Toki Forest Park is on the Minami bus line. From Ryotsu Port, the one-way trip takes 20 minutes and costs 460 yen. Get off at the Toki no mori Koen (トキの森公園) bus stop. Buses run about once per hour.
How to get to and around Sado Island
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- 8:30 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)
- Closed
- Mondays from December to February, New Year holidays
- Admission
- 500 yen (~$3.2)
- English name
- Original name
- Toki Forest Park
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.