A bushy-tailed journey inside Japan’s famous fox village

Catie Leary 

 Welcome to heaven … also known as the Zao Fox Village in Miyagi, Japan. (Photo: Olena Shmahalo)

Considering Japan boasts entire islands filled with feral cats and wild bunnies, an animal sanctuary entirely devoted to foxes shouldn’t sound too crazy. But that doesn’t make the bushy-tailed residents of Zao Fox Village any less cute.

Located within Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture, the curious village of fluffy vulpines has become a major tourist draw ever since it opened in 1990. Today, there are six species of fox roaming the grounds — the most prominent of which is the Japanese red fox, though you’ll also spot silver foxes (like the one seen above at right), platinum foxes, black foxes and Arctic foxes. Read more.