Final day of outdoor display of pandas at Japanese zoo before transfer to China
Visitors flocked to a theme park in western Japan on Sunday for the last opportunity to get an up-close look at four giant pandas that are set to be transferred to China.
The four female pandas at the park in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, are scheduled to be sent to China on June 28, as the contract of a joint project is set to expire in August.
Sunday is the last day for visitors to be able to see the pandas outdoors. The pandas will then be on view to the public only at glass-enclosed indoor facilities from Monday through June 27, one day before their scheduled departure.
A woman in her 20s said that she was close enough to hear the animals munching bamboo, so she felt sad that no one would be able to see them outdoors again.
She added that she would like to visit again to see the pandas through glass, before they are sent to China.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
a day ago
INTERVIEW: New USJ Head Vows to Promote Kansai Tourism
News from Japan Economy Jun 2, 2025 13:22 (JST) Osaka, June 2 (Jiji Press)--The new chief of theme park operator Universal Studios Japan LLC is eager to further promote tourism in the Kansai region, western Japan, in cooperation with the Osaka city government. "I'm determined to develop local tourism over the next five to 10 years," Taku Murayama, who took office as USJ president Sunday at age 53, said in a recent interview. Murayama, who started his work career at the company and became its first Japanese president in 21 years, noted that he has long been willing to leverage the globally popular theme park to change the state of "one pole concentration" to Tokyo. Recovering from the COVID crisis, USJ ranked third in the list of most-visited theme parks in the world in 2023. "Visitors always make fresh discoveries at USJ as they experience totally new seasonal events and services, such as those in the Christmas and Halloween seasons," Murayama explained. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Osaka Expo sees highest daily visitor number
The ongoing Osaka Expo attracted 162,000 general visitors on Saturday, marking a new daily record, the organizer said on Sunday. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition expects a total of 28.2 million people to visit the event, which is set to run until Oct. 13. To achieve the goal, the event needs to draw 150,000 visitors on average per day. Saturday's number exceeded the target for the first time. Visitor reservations grew on Saturday thanks to music and fireworks attractions, according to the association.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Waves of umami: Awaji Island's culinary trove
Lifting the lid off a large ceramic pot with a flourish to reveal his aged shoyu, chef Nobuaki Fushiki tells me that with soy sauce, 'taste is born with time.' As the distinctive aroma of umami wafts into the air at Zenbo Seinei — a Zen wellness retreat designed by Shigeru Ban and located in the north of Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture — I'm instructed to place a dash of the rich brown liquid on a small plate. Most of the 20 members of my group, who hail from North America, Europe and Oceania, are joining a soy sauce tasting for the first time, inspired by their introduction to Japanese cuisine onboard the Silver Nova, one of the newest ships from luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises. The Silver Nova, which has a passenger capacity of 728 guests, made its debut voyage in the Asia-Pacific region last September. After sailing from Hokkaido, the ship undertook two voyages in Asia before heading southwards to Australia and New Zealand. It returned to Japan last month. The vessel held its inaugural Sea and Land Taste (SALT) — an immersive culinary program that lets guests experience a destination's cultural identity — in the Asia-Pacific region, which included SALT shore excursions in Japan for the first time. The Silver Nova is one of the newest vessels from Silversea Cruises. | SILVERSEA CRUISES Launched in Greece in 2021, SALT has proved immensely popular among passengers, prompting its expansion from the Mediterranean to voyages that include the Caribbean and South America, before its launch in Japan. Gourmet programs from cruises are, of course, not new. Most international cruises to Japan tend to feature onboard themed dinners featuring regional produce or work with local tour operators to bring passengers for short gourmet jaunts onshore. With the increasing demand globally for more immersive gourmet experiences in travel, a few cruises are now offering culinary tours that take on a more authentic vibe. Princess Cruises, for example, offers a visit to the Yamada miso and soy sauce brewery in Niigata Prefecture. Silversea's SALT program places a heightened emphasis on regional food and its ties to local identity, as well as hands-on experiences for its guests. Its onshore SALT Excursions are designed to offer insights into traditional cooking methods and local ingredients. For example, in Tasmania, passengers had the opportunity to forage local produce with renowned chef Analiese Gregory followed by a lunch with Tasmanian wines. In Napier, New Zealand, guests were taken to the award-winning Craggy Range winery for a private tour, wine-tasting and a five-course meal at the winery's restaurant. On Greece's Mykonos island, turophiles got the opportunity to make Kopanisti at cheese producer Mykonos Farmers. 'The nature of SALT is that it's constantly evolving,' says Adam Sachs, the program's director. 'We're passionate about food and drink and created SALT to share the best of food culture with like-minded guests hungry for truly authentic and memorable culinary experiences.' A staff member at Zenbo Seinei prepares condiments made from soy sauce for lunch. | KATHRYN WORTLEY From Osaka, where the Silver Nova is docked, our shore excursion takes us by bus to Awaji Island, the largest island of the Seto Inland Sea. It includes a fermentation workshop and an eight-course lunch led by Zenbo Seinei's Fushiki, as well as a farm-to-table experience. Bert Hernandez, president of Silversea, says the tour lets guests discover 'the soul of a place through its food and culture.' In this case, the focus is on learning about the building blocks of umami. Umami is a key flavor component in fermented food, which is central to Japanese cooking. For Fushiki, an expert in fermented cuisine, fermented foods not only enhance a meal's flavor and nutritional value but also play an integral role in Japan's culinary identity. At the fermentation workshop, we are introduced to the role of fermentation in a wide range of Japanese condiments, such as soy sauce, miso, mirin and rice vinegar, as well as items like nattō (fermented soybeans) and tsukemono (pickled vegetables). 'Some soy sauces in the supermarket today have been made within months, but my variety has taken me more than six years to brew,' says Fushiki, who uses traditional techniques such as using kōji mold and brine fermentation in the moromi (fermentation mash) to create a soy sauce with depth and complexity. Chef Nobuaki Fushiki of Zenbo Seinei is an expert in fermented cuisine. | KATHRYN WORTLEY Fushiki's six-year-aged soy sauce is served with his Taste of Awaji menu, which takes his team of chefs at Zenbo Seinei a week to prepare. Showcasing the best of the island's produce, from the mountains, sea and farmland, the menu is a fitting introduction to Japanese cuisine as Awaji is recognized in mythology as the birthplace of Japan, he says. According to Japan's earliest written works, the 'Kojiki' ('Records of Ancient Matters') and 'Nihon Shoki' ('The Chronicles of Japan'), the island was the first landmass to be formed during a ceremony carried out by the deities Izanagi and Izanami. Awaji is also known as one of only three miketsukuni (provinces of royal provisions) that supplied food to the imperial court in Kyoto during the Heian Period (794–1185). The island was chosen for its exceptional bounty of agricultural and marine products, which established it as a center for Japanese culinary excellence, a reputation that continues to this day. Fushiki's eight courses reflect this long and rich heritage. The Power of Awaji features Awaji beef fermented with maitake and kōji and finished on a charcoal grill, while 'The History of Japan' comprises Awaji swordfish served on a savory egg custard made with 10 kinds of local vegetables and dashi infused with bonito and kelp. The Ocean of Awaji is a nod to the rich variety of seafood found around the island's rocky and sandy shores. Small parcels of fresh spring green vegetables are wrapped in various kinds of fermented and dried fish alongside green tiger prawn boiled in local sea water. A fine bed of crushed pine nuts, white sesame and shio-kōji (salted kōji) embodies a beach, while an accompaniment of a dashi foam represents ocean waves. Chef Fushiki's The Ocean of Awaji dish is a homage to the rich seafood found around the island. | KATHRYN WORTLEY Great care is also taken to introduce drink pairings with complementary Japanese flavors. The Awaji beef is accompanied with a choice of a Japanese wine made from yamabudō, a wild Japanese grape variety known for its acidity and dark hue, or a mocktail featuring grapes and beetroot, milk-washed or clarified with lemon. The swordfish is served with tea made from herbs and dried shiso (perilla), a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine, while the ocean course is paired with a tea made from Japanese butterbur, a perennial herb native to East Asia. The alcohol option for both fish dishes is sake, including Regulus, a brew from the award-winning Niigata Prefecture-based Abe Shuzo. After a dessert that includes sweet miso-marinated strawberries with sanshō pepper-infused cream and matcha served with mochi, I visit one of the sources of Zenbo Seinei's fruits and vegetables: Awaji Nature Lab & Resort. Located nearby, the 38,000-square-meter facility grows some 30 crops annually using circular farming, a sustainable practice that minimizes waste by treating byproducts as resources. Farmers make compost using leaf litter, rice bran and manure, changing the composition throughout the seasons to maximize the quality of the fruits and vegetables produced. Such a rare look into a sustainable agricultural practice offers guests a greater appreciation of Awaji's rich bounty. Silver Nova returns to Japan in March 2026, with SALT excursions to Zenbo Seinei and Aomori Prefecture; Silver Moon, another vessel, will arrive in Japan in October 2025, with SALT excursions to Zenbo Seinei and Fukuoka Prefecture.
