Panda fans yesterday flocked to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo to say goodbye to its star attractions — two giant pandas, who will be sent back to China at the end of the month.
The departure of four-year-old twins Xiao Xiao (曉曉) and Lei Lei (蕾蕾) would leave Japan panda-less for the first time since 1972, prompting thousands to apply for lottery-assigned tickets to say goodbye.
“I’ve been coming since the parents of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei were here,” 54-year-old Machiko Seki said. “It feels like one family’s story is coming to an end.”
Photo: AFP
While their move to China has been planned for some time, the pandas’ coming absence has been viewed as a reflection of deteriorating Japan-China relations in the past few months.
In November last year, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response.
That triggered a furious response from Beijing.
Political tensions were not the focus of many zoo-goers yesterday, when visitors were allowed one-minute windows to see the bears.
“The pandas have given me so much — energy, courage, healing,” Seki said. “I wanted to come today to express my gratitude.”
Even people who did not win tickets made the journey.
“Today, I didn’t win the lottery for the panda viewing, so I can’t see the pandas in person,” 49-year-old housewife Akiko Kawakami said. “I came here today, because I wanted to breathe the same air as the pandas.”
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