Izu Shaboten Zoo
A semi–free-range petting zoo and cactus park might not seem like the best combination, but Izu Shaboten Zoo makes it work. In addition to viewing some of the 1,500 varieties of cactus, you can feed, pet, or otherwise get up close and personal with more than 140 different animals, including the capybara onsen (animals like hot springs too). Next to the zoo is 580-meter (1,903-foot) Mt. Omuro, a distinctive cinder cone volcano worth the hike (or the ropeway fee) for the panoramas from the trail around its crater.
