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Ⓒ Toyooka City
HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Oriental White Storks of Toyooka
Visit the hometown of the endangered Oriental White Storks and watch these elegant birds soar in the sky
Toyooka Tourism Innovation
Thanks to its environmental efforts, Toyooka City was selected as a Top 100 Green Destination in 2021.
The Oriental White Stork once lived freely throughout the Japanese wilderness, but in 1971, the last wild Oriental White Stork disappeared from the skies of Japan in Toyooka. One of the culprits was discovered to be pesticides used in local farming, culminating a sense of responsibility amongst Toyooka's residents. A promise was made - they would make it their mission to return the Oriental White Storks into the wild.
A breeding program was started with the remaining captive storks, and, after years of efforts, a chick hatched in 1989. The first storks were successfully reintroduced into the wild for the first time in 2005. Currently about 270 Oriental White Storks fly in the skies of Toyooka, as local farmers preserve their habitat by using natural agricultural methods, resulting in delicious organic rice.
At the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork in Toyooka, you can observe storks up close in the open-air enclosure and learn more about this fascinating bird inside the information center.
How to get there
From Kyoto Station, take the JR Kinosaki 5 Hashidate Limited Express Train to Toyooka Station (about 2 hours and 15 minutes). The Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork is about 20 minutes by bus from Toyooka Station.
Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork, 128 Shounji, Toyooka-shi, Hyogo-ken
